The distribution of O-glycosylhydrolases (fucoidan hydrolases, alpha-D-mannosidases, beta-D-glucosidases, and beta-D-galactosidases) in 30 species of marine invertebrates occurring in the Sea of Japan was studied. It is shown that fucoidanases and glycosidases are widespread in the animals analyzed. Some molluscan, annelid, and echinoderm species can probably serve as objects for isolation and detailed study of the fucoidan-hydrolyzing enzymes. Fucoidan hydrolase, alpha-L-fucosidase, and arylsulfatase from the marine mollusk Littorina kurila were isolated and described. It was found that alpha-L-fucosidase and arylsulfatase hydrolyze synthetic substrates and cannot hydrolyze natural fucoidan, whereas fucoidan hydrolase cleaves fucoidan to produce sulfated oligosaccharides and fucose.

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