Experimental Use of Microbial Sialidases

Over the past ten years there have been many papers published about mammalian sialidase and a few about avian sialidase. Organellar and subcellular distribution studies have been reported upon, as have substrate specificity, purification, physical properties and possible effects of enzyme action. Much of the work is suggestive but not complete, i.e., characterization of the physical properties such as the kinetic parameters, and Vmaxj has only been done on crude enzyme preparations. Composition, molecular weight, and mechanism of action are not known. 

Several workers have tried to ascertain the effects of mammalian sialidase action on endogenous substrates. Studies of the effects of soluble microbial sialidases on cell-surface properties and on the activities of sialocompounds have been performed in order to try to determine, by analogy, the role of mammalian sialidase. This part of the chapter will summarize what is known about mammalian, and where possible, avian sialidase and will suggest biological roles for the enzyme. 

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