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The growth of the mould Trichoderma viride on a defined medium containing either potassium d-glucose 6-O-sulphate or potassium d-galactose 6-O-sulphate as sole sources of both carbon and sulphur is marked by the production of an enzyme system capable of liberating inorganic SO(4) (2-) ions from either of the sulphate esters. The enzyme is not produced when the organism is grown with glucose (or galactose) and potassium sulphate or with glucose and methionine as sole sources of carbon and sulphur. Experimental conditions are described whereby inorganic SO(4) (2-) ions liberated from potassium glucose 6-O-sulphate by the growing mould appear in the culture medium after a constant lag period of 21-24hr. The enzyme has been shown to be a simple glycosulphatase that is active towards the 6-O-sulphate esters of d-glucose and d-galactose but not towards potassium glucose 3-O-sulphate. The properties of the crude glycosulphatase show the enzyme to be appreciably different from analogous molluscan enzymes that can degrade monosaccharide sulphate esters.

1. The metabolism of sodium cortisone 21-[(35)S]sulphate was investigated in rats. 2. Quantitative and qualitative experiments showed that substantial amounts of (35)SO(4) (2-) appeared in the urine of free-ranging rats receiving the ester. 3. Whole-body radioautograms indicated considerable biliary elimination of (35)S and also pointed to the liver as the site of metabolism. 4. When female rats with bile-duct cannulae received sodium cortisone 21-[(35)S]sulphate approx. 70% of the dose appeared in the bile as a doubly conjugated steroid (metabolite I). This metabolite was identified as 3alpha-(beta-d-glucopyranuronosido)- 17alpha-hydroxy-21-[(35)S]sulpho-oxy-5alpha-pregnane-11,20-dione. 5. When metabolite I was administered to a rat with a bile-duct cannula 90% of the dose appeared in the bile unchanged. After the administration (intraperitoneally or orally) of metabolite I to free-ranging rats considerable amounts of (35)SO(4) (2-) appeared in the urine. 6. The route by which (35)SO(4) (2-) might be produced from cortisone [(35)S]sulphate in free-ranging animals is discussed.

The metabolic fate of potassium dodecyl [(35)S]sulphate was studied in rats. Intraperitoneal and oral administration of the ester into free-ranging animals were followed by the excretion of the bulk of the radioactivity in the urine within 12hr., approximately 17% being eliminated as inorganic [(35)S]sulphate. Similar results were obtained in experiments in which potassium dodecyl [(35)S]sulphate was injected intravenously into anaesthetized rats with bile-duct and ureter cannulae. Analysis of urinary radioactivity revealed the presence of a new ester sulphate (metabolite A). This metabolite was isolated, purified and subsequently identified as the sulphate ester of 4-hydroxybutyric acid by paper, thin-layer and gas chromatography, by paper electrophoresis and by comparison of its properties with those of authentic butyric acid 4-sulphate. The identity of the metabolite was confirmed by isotope-dilution experiments. When either purified metabolite A or authentic potassium butyric acid 4[(35)S]-sulphate was administered to free-ranging rats the bulk of the radioactivity was eliminated unchanged in the urine within 12hr., approx. 20% of the dose appearing as inorganic [(35)S]sulphate. Whole-body radioautography and isolated-liver-perfusion experiments implicated the liver as the major site of metabolism of potassium dodecyl [(35)S]sulphate. It is suggested that butyric acid 4-sulphate probably arises by omega-oxidation of dodecyl sulphate to a fatty acid-like compound, which is then degraded by beta-oxidation.

The most recently published method for the assay of testicular hyaluronidase preparations was based on the premise that the enzyme also exhibited carboxylesterase activity towards indoxyl acetate. Studies on the relative enzyme activities of various hyaluronidase preparations towards hyaluronate and indoxyl acetate, the relative stabilities towards pH, temperature and mechanical shaking and the behaviour towards a variety of inhibitors, showed that the activities towards the two substrates reflected the presence of at least two different enzyme systems in the preparations. Gel chromatography and polyacrylamide-gel-electrophoresis experiments confirmed these conclusions and the collective findings clearly establish that methods based on the use of indoxyl acetate cannot be employed to measure testicular hyaluronidase activity.