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Abstract
Six glycosidases, enzymes involved in glycoprotein-glycolipid breakdown, were determined in human, rabbit, and rat crystalline lens: β-galactosidase, β-glucosidase, α-mannosidase, β-glucosaminidase, β-galactosaminidase, and β-fucosidase. Peak activities of these enzymes were all at acidic pH values, but individual variations in pH optimum among enzymes and species were present. In the rabbit, glycosidase activities were 11 to 29 times higher in lens than in aqueous humor. In determinations in various areas of the lens, glycosidase activities were higher in the capsule-epithelium area than in the rest of the lens (on a wet iveight basis). A variety of steroids inhibited β-glucosidase, whereas vitamin A palmitate stimulated β-glucosidase and β-fucosidase.