Patent ID: 7767420

Claim:
A method of specifically cleaving a heparin or a heparan sulfate, comprising: selecting an isolated B. thetaiotaomicron HSGAG lyase polypeptide I, or a functional fragment thereof, that cleaves a heparin or a heparan sulfate such that the B. thetaiotaomicron HSGAG lyase polypeptide, or a functional fragment thereof, cleaves a glycosidic linkage between a glucosamine having a sulfate at position 3 and a sulfated uronic acid of the heparin or heparan sulfate, wherein the B. thetaiotaomicron HSGAG lyase I polypeptide, or a functional fragment thereof, comprises a) an amino acid sequence which is at least 90% identical to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2; b) the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2, 4 or 23; and c) an amino acid sequence which differs by at least 1 amino acid but not more than 15 amino acids from the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2, and contacting the heparin or the heparan sulfate, to thereby cleave the heparin or heparan sulfate.