Biosynthesis of heparin. Different molecular forms of O-sulfotransferases

O-Sulfotransferases involved in heparin biosynthesis were purified > or = 10,000-fold from detergent extracts of mouse mastocytoma tissue by sequential chromatographies on DEAE-Sephacel, heparin-agarose, blue Sepharose, and 3',5'-ADP-Sepharose. The resultant preparation catalyzed the transfer of 35S from 3'-phosphoadenosyl-5'-phospho-[35S]sulfate into N,O-desulfated, re-N-sulfated heparin. Anion-exchange high performance liquid chromatography of disaccharides obtained by deaminative cleavage of the 35S-labeled polysaccharide product revealed O-35S-sulfation at C-2 of L-iduronic acid and at C-6 of D-glucosamine units. SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of semipurified enzyme followed by extraction of gel segments and renaturation of proteins consistently showed two distinct fractions of O-sulfotransferase activity, corresponding to proteins of approximately 20 and approximately 60 kDa. The approximately 60-kDa enzyme(s) catalyzed both the 2-O- and 6-O-sulfotransferase reactions, whereas the approximately 20-kDa fraction promoted iduronosyl 2-O-sulfation only. These results are discussed in relation to previous findings, indicating that some of the enzymes involved in heparin biosynthesis catalyze more than one reaction.