Enzymes specifically capable of removing O-acetyl esters from the 9-position of sialic acids are sialic-acidspecific 9-O-acetylesterase. The enzymes in mammals have two forms, one is cytosolic sialic-acid-specific 9-O-acetylesterase (Cse) in the cytosolic fraction and another is lysosome sialic-acid-specific 9-O-acetylesterase (Lse) in the lysosomal/endosomal compartment [10] . Lse is likely to participate in the terminal lysosomal degradation of 9-O-acetylated sialoglycoconjugates, while Cse is likely to salvage any 9-O-acetylated molecules that escape the initial action of the Lse enzyme. The process of de-O-acetylation of sialic acid, which is catalyzed by sialicacid-specific 9-O-acetylesterase, has been implicated in organogenesis and cellular differentiation [2, 5] .