The biosynthesis and maturation of human sucrase-isomaltase (SI, EC 3.2.1.48-10), was studied in cultured small intestinal biopsy specimens and mucosa explants. Pulse-chase experiments with [35S]methionine revealed one high mannose intermediate of Mr = 210,000 (pro-SIh) which was processed at a slow rate to an endo H-resistant, mature form of Mr = 245,000 (pro-SIc). The fully core-glycosylated form (Mr = 212,000) was detected only when 1-deoxynojirimycin was added to the culture medium, thus indicating that the core sugars undergo rapid processing by rough endoplasmic reticulum membrane-bound glycosidases. The data presented showed that trypsin specifically and instantaneously (within 1 min) cleaves pro-SIc to two subunits Ic (Mr = 145,000) and Sc (Mr = 130,000). Elastase and chymotrypsin are not effective. Enzymic and chemical deglycosylations of SI with endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase F/glycopeptidase F and trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (TFMS) as well as probing for the binding capacity of SI to Helix pomatia lectin demonstrated that pro-SIc, Ic, and Sc are N- and O-glycosylated. Furthermore, the results were indicative of a posttranslational O-glycosylation of pro-SI, since (i) the earliest detectable precursor form, pro-SIh, did not bind to H. pomatia lectin and (ii) its deglycosylation products with both endo-beta-N-acetylglucosamidase H and TFMS were identical. Both the Sc and Ic subunits contain eight N-linked glycan units, at least one of which is of the high mannose type and found on Sc. Finally, Sc, but not Ic, was shown to display at least four populations varying in their content of O-linked glycans. The heterogeneous O-glycosylation pattern of Sc could be correlated with the distal position of this subunit (and its O-glycosylation sites) within the pro-SI molecule, thus affecting the extent of O-linked oligosaccharide processing and their subsequent presentation on the mature molecule.