Carbohydrate hydrolases are widely distributed in microorganisms, plants, insects, and mammals. These enzymes are classified on the basis of their modes of action (exo or endo type), sugar specificity, form of sugar chain, and configuration ( or anomer) and position of the glycosidic linkage. Hydrogen bonding interactions between the amino acids involved in the active site of these enzymes and the hydroxyl groups of their sugar substrates are important in the formation of the enzyme substrate (ES) complex. In fact, with some enzymes, systematic hydrogen bondings between their active sites and their substrates have been estimated from three dimen-s i o n a l structure analyses. For example, extensive hydrogen bond formation was indicated between the active site of glucoamylase (EC 3.2.1.3) from the mold Aspergillus niger and methyl maltoside or isomaltoside.1,2) Studies using mono deoxygenated substrates demonstrated that specific hydroxyl groups of the glycoside play an essential role in ES complex formation with glucoamylases, glucosidases ( EC 3.2.1.21), 10 13) galactosidases (EC 3.2.1.22), 6,14) galactosidases (EC 3.2.1.23), 15,16) and mannosidases (EC 3.2.1.24) 17) from various organisms. Active site amino acids involved in substrate binding have been identified by studies of site directed mutagenesis.18,19) Thus, investigations into interactions between an enzyme and its sugar substrate focus on hydrogen bond formation. However, Notenboom et al . reported that the nonreducing end sugar (glycon) OH 2 group of aryl cellobioside promotes transition state stabilization of reaction intermediates during hydrolytic reactions of the bacteria Cellulomonas fimi glucosidase. 20) Moreover, Frandesen et al . also indicated that OH 2 and 3 groups of the reducing end ring (aglycon) of the substrate methyl isomaltoside contribute to transition state stabilization in yeast glucosidase, while all glycon hydroxyl groups of the substrate are intimately involved in the formation of hydrogen bonds with the enzyme. 9) Using substrates partially modified at their glycon portions, we have studied substrate specificities of various types of glycosidases. 5,6,8,14,17) Through these studies, we predicted that some properties of the hydrolytic actions of exo glycosidases are controlled by the glycon hydroxyl groups of their substrates. On the basis of this hypothesis, we investigated the role of the glycon hydroxyl groups of the glycoside during glycosidase action by kinetic studies on the hydrolysis of partially deoxygenated glycosides.We chose A. niger glucosidase (ANGase) for this study because of its strong hydrolytic activity against 2 and 3 deoxy glucosides modified at the glycon portion, al-