The copolymeric structure of pig skin dermatan sulphate. Characterization of d-glucuronic acid-containing oligosaccharides isolated after controlled degradation of oxydermatan sulphate

Selective periodate oxidation of unsubstituted l-iduronic acid residues in copolymeric dermatan sulphate chains was followed by reduction-hydrolysis or alkaline elimination. By this procedure the glucuronic acid-containing periods were isolated in oligosaccharide form; general formula: [Formula: see text] Further degradation of these oligosaccharides with chondroitinase-AC yielded three types of products: (a) sulphated trisaccharide containing an unsaturated uronosyl moiety in the non-reducing terminal and a C(4) fragment in the reducing terminal, DeltaUA-GalNAc-(-SO(4))-R; (b) monosulphated, unsaturated disaccharide, DeltaUA-GalNAc-SO(4) when n is greater than or equal to 2; and (c) N-acetylgalactosamine with or without sulphate. Oligosaccharides containing a single glucuronic acid residue (n=1) comprised more than half of the glucuronic acid-containing oligosaccharides. The terminal N-acetylgalactosamine moiety of the shortest oligosaccharide was largely 4-sulphated, whereas higher oligosaccharides primarily contained 6-sulphated or unsulphated hexosamine moieties in the same position. Moreover, IdUA-SO(4)-containing oligosaccharides were encountered. These oligosaccharides were resistant to the action of chondroitinase-ABC.     

The copolymeric structure of pig skin dermatan sulphate. Isolation and characterization of l-idurono-sulphate-containing oligosaccharides from copolymeric chains

Dermatan sulphate was degraded by testicular hyaluronidase and an oversulphated fraction was isolated by ion-exchange chromatography. This preparation, which contained fairly long segments derived from the non-reducing terminal portion of the molecule, was subjected to periodate oxidation under acidic conditions. The oxidized iduronic acid residues were cleaved by reduction-hydrolysis (Smith-degradation) (Fransson & Carlstedt, 1974) or by alkaline elimination. The oligosaccharides so obtained contained both GlcUA (glucuronic acid) and IdUA-SO(4) (sulphated iduronic acid) residues. Copolymeric oligosaccharides obtained after alkaline elimination were cleaved by chondroitinase-AC into disaccharide and higher oligosaccharides. Since the corresponding oligosaccharides obtained by Smith-degradation were unaffected by this enzyme, it was concluded that the carbohydrate sequences were GalNAc-(IdUA-GalNAc)(n)-GlcUA-GalNAc. The iduronic acid-containing sequences were resistant to digestion with chondroitinase-ABC. It was demonstrated that the presence of unsulphated N-acetylgalactosamine residues in these sequences could be responsible for the observed effect. This information was obtained in an indirect way. Chemically desulphated dermatan sulphate was found to be a poor substrate for the chondroitinase-ABC enzyme. Moreover, digestion with chondroitinase-ABC of chondroitinase-AC-degraded dermatan sulphate released periodate-resistant iduronic acid-containing oligosaccharides. It is concluded that copolymeric sequences of the following structure are present in pig skin dermatan sulphate: [Formula: see text] N-acetylgalactosamine moieties surrounding IdUA-SO(4) residues are unsulphated to a large extent.     

Interactions of cartilage proteoglycans with hyaluronate. Inhibition of the interaction by modified oligomers of hyaluronate.

Oligomers of hyaluronic acid were prepared by digestion of hyaluronic acid from rooster combs with testicular hyaluronidase (hyaluronate 4-glycanohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.35), leech head hyaluronidase (hyaluronate 3-glycanohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.36), and with fungal hyaluronidase (hyaluronate lyase from Streptomyces hyalurolyticus). The oligomers were fractionated by gel permeation, using Sephadex G-50. Oligomers isolated after incubation of the hyaluronic acid with the testicular hyaluronidase were further modified. To prepare oligomers with N-acetylglucosamine at both ends, terminal nonreducing glucuronic acid residues were removed with beta-glucuronidase. Reducing terminal N-acetylglucosamine residues were removed by reaction under mildly alkaline conditions. The reducing terminal N-acetylglucosamine residues were also reduced with sodium borohydride to form N-acetylglucosaminitol. The potentials of the various oligosaccharides to bind to the proteoglycan from bovine nasal septum cartilage were estimated by determining their effectiveness as inhibitors of the proteoglycan-hyaluronate interaction. The present study shows that, to bind maximally to the proteoglycan, the hyaluronate oligosaccharide must be at least 10 sugar residues in length and be terminated at the nonreducing and reducing ends with a glucuronate residue and an N-acetylglucosamine residue, respectively. Sugar residues extended beyond this basic decasaccharide, do not interact with the hyaluronate binding site on the proteoglycan.     

Structural studies on colanic acid, the common exopolysaccharide found in the Enterobacteriaceae, by partial acid hydrolysis. Oligosaccharides from colanic acid

The exopolysaccharide slime colanic acid has been isolated from representative strains of Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium and Aerobacter cloacae. Analysis showed that each polymer contained glucose, galactose, fucose and glucuronic acid, together with acetate and pyruvate. The molar proportions of these components were 1:1.8:1.9:1:1:1 approximately. On the basis of periodate oxidation of the natural and deacetylated polysaccharide, glucose is proposed as the site of the acetyl groups. The pyruvate is attached to galactose. Three neutral oligosaccharides and ten electrophoretically mobile oligosaccharides were isolated and partially characterized. Four of the fragments were esters of pyruvic acid. Most oligosaccharides were isolated from all three polysaccharide preparations. Three further oligosaccharides were isolated from carboxyl-reduced colanic acid and sodium borotritide was used to label the glucose derived from glucuronic acid in these fragments. One trisaccharide was obtained from periodate-oxidized polysaccharide. On the basis of these oligosaccharides a repeating hexasaccharide unit of the following structure is proposed: [Formula: see text] The significance of this structure in colanic acid biosynthesis is discussed.     

Post-translational events in proteoglycan synthesis: kinetics of synthesis of chondroitin sulfate and oligosaccharides on the core protein

Chondrocytes isolated from the Swarm rat chondrosarcoma were incubated in culture with [1-3H]glucose for 30 min to 8 h. Labeled proteoglycans were isolated, treated with borohydride under alkaline conditions, and the three complex sugar structures purified: N- and O-linked oligosaccharides and chondroitin sulfate chains. The amount of incorporated radioactivity into each component sugar was analyzed by HPLC after enzyme digestion and hydrolysis. The kinetic data for labeling of each sugar over the time course of the experiment were fit to first-order rate equations and the half times (t1/2) to linear labeling were calculated. The t1/2 values were essentially the same, 5-8 min, for galactose in all three complex sugar structures and for chain glucuronic acid in chondroitin sulfate, while that for xylitol in chondroitin sulfate, 15.8 min, was significantly longer. Thus, oligosaccharide synthesis is concomitant with chondroitin sulfate chain synthesis; the addition of the chondroitin sulfate linkage galactose occurs at or nearly at the same time as chain elongation while the addition of linkage xylose residues to the core protein may precede chain synthesis by up to 8 min. Since the intracellular t1/2 of the core protein precursor for these cells is 45 to 90 min, the data strongly suggest that the addition of xylose is not completed to any significant extent while the polypeptide is still nascent or shortly after its release into the rough endoplasmic reticulum. It is proposed that the addition of xylose to the core protein precursor is a late endoplasmic reticulum or early Golgi event. The analytical data were consistent with the presence of ester phosphate on about 80% of the xylose residues of the newly synthesized proteoglycan.     

Autolysis of isolated cell walls of Bacillus licheniformis N.C.T.C. 6346 and Bacillus subtilis Marburg strain 168. Separation of the products and characterization of the mucopeptide fragments

1. Cell walls were isolated from Bacillus licheniformis N.C.T.C. 6346 and Bacillus subtilis Marburg strain 168 trp grown on casein hydrolysate into exponential phase. Autolysis was carried out and the soluble products, separated by chromatography on DEAE-cellulose, from the two wall preparations are broadly similar in composition and are in agreement with autolysis proceeding with hydrolysis of amide bonds between l-alanine and N-acetylmuramic acid residues in the mucopeptide components. 2. Peptides originating from the mucopeptide components were isolated and shown to be a monomer peptide, l-alanyl-d-glutamyl-meso-diaminopimelic acid and a dimer peptide containing two monomer peptides linked through a residue of d-alanine. Approximately one amide group is present for each equivalent tripeptide unit and is probably substituted on diaminopimelic acid residues. 3. Oligosaccharides originating from the mucopeptide components were isolated and after hydrolysis contained almost equimolar amounts of glucosamine and muramic acid and only very small amounts of amino acids. The number-average chain length, estimated by the release of non-reducing end groups of N-acetylglucosamine with exo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase, is approximately ten hexosamine residues for oligosaccharides isolated from either organism. The oligosaccharides are polydisperse. 4. N-Acetylglucosamine residues are the only reducing terminals detectable in the oligosaccharides isolated from B. subtilis or B. licheniformis cell-wall autolysates. The number-average chain lengths of the oligosaccharides were determined by estimation of the content of these residues and are higher than those found by enzymic assay. Possible reasons for the discrepancy are discussed.     

Fragmentation analysis of extracellular acid polysaccharides from seven Rhizobium strains. Part I. D-glucuronic acid-containing oligosaccharides.

The extracellular, bacterial polysaccharides from seven Rhizobium strains have been submitted to partial hydrolysis with acid. Several neutral oligosaccharides, some containing pyruvic acid, were isolated together with D-glucuronic acid-containing oligosaccharides. The polysaccharide from Rh. meliloti did not contain glucuronic acid. For the other six strains, the following components were characterized: 4-O-(beta-D-glucopyranosyluronic acid)-D-glucuronic acid, 4-O-(beta-D-glucopyranosyluronic acid)-D-glucose, and O-(beta-D-glucopyranosyluronic acid)-(1leads to4)-O-(beta-D-glucopyranosyluronic acid)-(1leads to4)-D-glucose. These results indicate the presence of chains containing two beta-(1leads to4)-linked D-glucuronic acid residues, beta-linked to D-glucose at position 4.     

Studies on the partial structure of the O-antigen of Vibrio cholera Ogawa G-2102

Detailed information was obtained regarding the partial structure of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS), containing glucose, glucuronic acid, 2-amino-2-deoxy-glucose, L-glycero-D-gluco-heptose, and small proportions of L-glycero-D-manno-heptose, mannose, and galactose, isolated from Vibrio cholera Ogawa G-2102. Structures of three oligosaccharides were determined. Results of deamination experiments established the sequence of the linkages between the amino sugar and heptose residues in the O-antigenic polysaccharide.     

Structural basis for binding of Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 to chondroitin sulfate and placental tissue and the influence of protein polymorphisms on binding specificity

Chondroitin sulfate (CS) A is a key receptor for adhesion of Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes (IEs) in the placenta and can also mediate adhesion to microvascular endothelial cells. IEs that adhere to CSA express var2csa-type genes, which encode specific variants of the IE surface antigen P. falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1). We report direct binding of native PfEMP1, isolated from IEs and encoded by var2csa, to immobilized CSA. Binding of PfEMP1 was dependent on 4-O-sulfated disaccharides and glucuronic acid rather than iduronic acid, consistent with the specificity of intact IEs. Using immobilized CS oligosaccharides as neoglycolipid probes, the minimum chain length for direct binding of PfEMP1 was eight monosaccharide units. Similarly for IE adhesion to placental tissue there was a requirement for 4-O-sulfated GalNAc and glucuronic acid mixed with non-sulfated disaccharides; 6-O-sulfation interfered with the interaction between placental CSA and IEs. The minimum chain length for maximal inhibition of adhesion was 10 monosaccharide residues. Partially 4-O-sulfated CS oligosaccharides (45-55% sulfation) were highly effective inhibitors of placental adhesion (IC(50), 0.15 microg/ml) and may have potential for therapeutic development. We used defined P. falciparum isolates expressing different variants of var2csa in adhesion assays and found that there were isolate-specific differences in the preferred structural motifs for adhesion to CSA that correlated with polymorphisms in PfEMP1 encoded by var2csa-type genes. This may influence sites of IE sequestration or parasite virulence. These findings have significant implications for understanding the pathogenesis and biology of malaria, particularly during pregnancy, and the development of targeted interventions.     

Sequential hydrolysis of hyaluronate by beta-glucuronidase and beta-N-acetylhexosaminidase.

1. Hyaluronate extracted from rooster comb was digested by a mixture of beta-N-acetylhexosaminidase and beta-glucuronidase with simultaneous dialysis for 96 h. 2. The produjct, yielding 99.6% of a mixture of mono- and oligo-saccharides, was purified by gel chromatography and analysed for glucuronic acid, N-acetylglucosamine and other sugars. 3. The oligosaccharide portion was chromatographed on DEAE-cellulose, and the effluent fractions were analysed for glucuronic acid and N-acetylglucosamine, reduced with NaBH4, digested by beta-N-acetylhexosaminidase and subjected to acid hydrolysis and glucosamine determination. 4. GlcNAc-GlcA-GlcNAc, GlcA-GlcA-GlcNAc and GlcA-GlcA-GlcA-GlcNAc were the oligosaccharides obtained, which resulted from the transferase activity of the enzymes and represented 57% of the digestion products. The results demonstrate that this hyaluronate is an unbranched polymer of approximatey equal amounts of glucuronic acid and N-acetylglucosamine. The data also indicate that if this glycosaminoglycan contains any of the neutral sugars for which it was analysed, their concentration must be less than 0.020% of the sum of the known components.     

Some structural features of a new sulphated heteropolysaccharide from Padina pavonia

An acid-extractable, water-soluble, polysaccharide sulphate, isolated from Padina pavonia, comprised variable proportions of glucuronic acid, galactose, glucose, mannose, xylose, and fucose in addition to a protein moiety. Partial acid hydrolysis and autohydrolysis of the free acid polysaccharide yielded several oligosaccharides. Evidence from periodate oxidation studies indicated that the inner polysaccharide portion is composed of (1 → 4)-linked β-D-glucuronic acid, (1 → 4)-linked β-D-mannose and (1 → 4)-linked β-D-glucose residues. The heteropolymeric partially sulphated exterior portion is attached to the inner part and comprises various ratios of (1 → 4)-linked β-D-galactose, β-D-galactose-3-sulphate residues, (1 → 4)-linked β-D-glucose residues, (1 → 2)-linked α-L-fucose 4-sulphate residues and (1 → 3)-linked β-D-xylose residues.     

Distribution of sulphate and iduronic acid residues in heparin and heparan sulphate

1. A method was developed for determination of the uronic acid composition of heparin-like glycosaminoglycans. Polymers or oligosaccharides are degraded to monosaccharides by a combination of acid hydrolysis and deamination with HNO₂. The resulting uronic acid monosaccharides (accounting for about 70% of the uronic acid contents of the starting materials) are isolated and converted into the corresponding aldono-1,4-lactones, which are separated by g.l.c. The calculated ratios of glucuronic acid/iduronic acid are reproducible within 5%. 2. Samples of heparin from pig intestinal mucosa (molar ratio of sulphate/disaccharide unit, 2.40) and heparan sulphate from human aorta (sulphate/disaccharide ratio, 0.46) were subjected to uronic acid analysis. l-Iduronic acid constituted 77% and 19% respectively of the total uronic acid contents. 3. The correlation between the contents of sulphate and iduronic acid indicated by this finding also applied to the fractionated deamination products of the two polymers. The sulphated fragments varied in size from disaccharide to octasaccharide (or larger) and showed sulphate/disaccharide molar ratios in the range of 0.05–2.0. The proportion of iduronic acid increased with increasing ester sulphate contents of the oligosaccharides. 4. Previous studies on the biosynthesis of heparin in a cell-free system have shown that l-iduronic acid residues are formed by C-5 epimerization of d-glucuronic acid units at the polymer level; the process requires concomitant sulphation of the polymer. The results obtained in the present structural study conform to these findings, and suggest further that similar mechanisms may operate in the biosynthesis of heparan sulphate. The epimerization reaction appears to be linked to the sulphation of hydroxyl groups but does not seem to require sulphation of the target uronic acid residues. The significance of sulphamino groups in relation to the formation of iduronic acid is unknown.     

Formation of dermatan sulfate by cultured human skin fibroblasts. Effects of sulfate concentration on proportions of dermatan/chondroitin

[3H,35S]Dermatan/chondroitin sulfate glycosaminoglycans produced during culture of fibroblasts in medium containing varying concentrations of sulfate were tested for their susceptibility to chondroitin ABC lyase and chondroitin AC lyase. Chondroitin ABC lyase completely degraded [3H]hexosamine-labeled and [35S] sulfate-labeled dermatan/chondroitin sulfate to disaccharides. Chondroitin AC lyase treatment of the labeled glycosaminoglycans produced different results. With this enzyme, dermatan/chondroitin sulfate formed at high concentrations of sulfate yielded small glycosaminoglycans and larger oligosaccharides but almost no disaccharide. This indicated that the dermatan/chondroitin sulfate co-polymer contained mostly iduronic acid with only an occasional glucuronic acid. As the medium sulfate concentration was progressively lowered, there was a concomitant increase in the susceptibility to degradation by chondroitin AC lyase. Thus, the labeled glycosaminoglycans formed at the lowest concentration of sulfate yielded small oligosaccharides including substantial amounts of disaccharide. The smaller chondroitin AC lyase-resistant [3H,35S]dermatan/chondroitin sulfate oligosaccharides were analyzed by gel filtration. Results indicated that, in general, the iduronic acid-containing disaccharide residues present in the undersulfated [3H,35S]glycosaminoglycan were sulfated, whereas the glucuronic acid-containing disaccharide residues were non-sulfated. This work confirms earlier reports that there is a relationship between epimerization and sulfation. Moreover, it demonstrates that medium sulfate concentration is critical in determining the proportions of dermatan to chondroitin (iduronic/glucuronic acid) produced by cultured cells.     

Ion-spray mass spectrometry for identification of the nonreducing terminal sugar of glycosaminoglycan

Various oligosaccharides from hyaluronic acid, which have glucuronic acid or N- acetylglucosamine at the nonreducing terminal, were prepared by digestion with a combination of testicular hyaluronidase and beta- glucuronidase. These oligo saccharides were analyzed by negative-mode ion-spray mass spectrometry (MS) with an atmospheric pressure ion source. Introduction of collisionally activated dissociation tandem mass spectrometry (CAD-MS/MS) produced ions derived from cleavage of the glycosidic bonds, allowing the structure to be analyzed. The CAD- MS/MS spectrum showed an intense and characteristic fragment ion at m/z 193 for oligosaccharides having glucuronic acid at the nonreducing terminal. On the other hand, this ion was not observed in the spectra of oligosaccharides having N- acetylglucosamine at the nonreducing terminal. Therefore, the fragmentation pattern revealed by CAD-MS/MS provides useful information for distinguishing glucuronic acid and N- acetylglucosamine at the nonreducing terminal of oligosaccharides derived from hyaluronic acid and other glycosaminoglycans. This ion- spray CAD-MS/MS technique was also applied successfully to the characterization of glycosaminoglycans reconstructed by glycotechnology.      

Structural studies on the amino-acid-linked teichuronic acid of Bacillus subtilis AHU 1219 cell walls

Structural studies were carried out on a teichuronic acid isolated from a mild acid extract of Bacillus subtilis AHU 1219 cell walls. The teichuronic acid contained D-glucuronic acid, D-glucose, D-galactose, L-serine and L-threonine in a molar ratio of 1:1:1:0.5:0.5. Results of analyses of the polysaccharide by Smith degradation, methylation and 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR spectroscopy, in combination with data on analyses of oligosaccharides obtained by partial acid hydrolysis and alkaline hydrolysis of the polymer, led to the most likely structure for the repeating unit, ----4)(L-Ser/L-Thr)-D-GlcA(beta 1----3)-D-Glc(beta 1----4)-D-Gal(alpha 1----. In each unit, either amino acid is linked to the glucuronic acid residue through an amide bond.     

Structures of sulfated oligosaccharides in human trachea mucin glycoproteins

The structures of high molecular weight sulfated oligosaccharide chains in mucins purified from the sputum of a patient with cystic fibrosis and blood group H determinant were established. Reduced oligosaccharides released by treatment with alkaline borohydride were separated by ion exchange chromatography on DEAE-Agarose and a fraction containing multisulfated chains was further purified by lectin affinity chromatography to completely remove small amounts of sialylated chains. A major sulfated oligosaccharide fraction containing chains with an average of 160 to 200 sugar residues was isolated by gel filtration on BioGel P-10 columns and individual subfractions were characterized by methylation analysis, periodate oxidation and sequential glycosidase digestion before and after desulfation. Carbohydrate analysis yielded Fuc, Gal and GldNAc in a ratio of 1:2:2.1 and only one galactosaminitol residue for every 160-to 200 sugar residues. The average molecular weight of oligosaccharide chains in these fractions was between 27,000 and 40,000 daltons. Structural analysis showed that these high molecular weight chains contained varying amounts of the repeating unit shown in the following oligosaccharide. Only one in about every 10 repeating units contained sulfate esters.Several shorter chains which contain 2 to 3 sulfate esters were also isolated from this multisulfated oligosaccharide fraction. The structures proposed for these oligosaccharides indicate that they are lower molecular weight chains with the same general structure as those found in the high molecular weight sulfated oligosaccharides. Taken collectively, the results of these studies show that a major sulfated oligosaccharide fraction in resporatory mucin purified from the mucus of patients with cystic fibrosis contains high molecular weight branched chains that consist of a repeating oligosaccharide sequence with sulfate linked to the 6 positions of galactose and possibly GlcNAc residues in the side chains.     

Some structural features of the teichuronic acid of Bacillus licheniformis N.C.T.C. 6346 cell walls

A teichuronic acid, containing glucuronic acid and N-acetylgalactosamine, was purified from acid extracts of Bacillus licheniformis 6346 cell walls as described by Janczura, Perkins & Rogers (1961). After reduction of the carboxyl function of glucuronic acid residues in the polysaccharide the reduced polymer contains equimolar amounts of N-acetylgalactosamine and glucose. Methylation of the reduced polysaccharide by the Hakamori (1964) technique showed the glucose residues to be substituted on C-4. A disaccharide, 3-O-glucuronosylgalactosamine, was isolated from partial acid hydrolysates of teichuronic acid. After N-acetylation the disaccharide produces chromogen readily on heating at pH7, in agreement with C-3 substitution of the reducing N-acetylamino sugar. Teichuronic acid also produces chromogen under the same conditions, with concurrent elimination of a modified polysaccharide from C-3 of reducing terminal N-acetylgalactosamine residues of the teichuronic acid chains. The number-average chain lengths of several preparations of teichuronic acid were estimated from the amounts of chromogen produced in comparison with the N-acetylated disaccharide. The values obtained are in good agreement with the weight-average molecular weight determined by ultracentrifugal analysis. The reducing terminals of teichuronic acid are shown to be exclusively N-acetylgalactosamine by reduction with sodium boro[(3)H]hydride. The number-average chain lengths of the teichuronic acid preparations were estimated by the extent of in corporation of tritium and are in agreement with values obtained by the other methods.     

The agar component of the red seaweed Gelidium purpurascens

Chemical composition and rheological properties of agar isolated from Gelidium purpurascens, the agar after alkaline treatment, and a commercial agar are presented. The agar and alkali-treated agar gave weaker gels, as measured with an Instron 1122, than those of commercial agar. Xylose, glucose and glucuronic acid in the agar were removed together with 86% of the nitrogen content on alkaline treatment, indicating occurrence of these residues as carbohydrate-protein complexes. Sequential extraction of the alga accounted for low yields of agar as losses incurred on ethanol precipitation. Acid treatment of the residue from exhaustive aqueous extraction of the alga liberated a further 10% agar with increased gel strengths despite increased glucose inclusion, suggesting a lack of involvement of these ‘contaminant’ carbohydrate-protein residues in helix coil formation during gelling.     

Chondroitin C lyase [4.2.2.] is unable to cleave fructosylated sequences inside the partially fructosylated <Emphasis Type="Italic">Escherichia coli</Emphasis> K4 polymer

Chondroitin C lyase was demonstrated to be unable to act on fructosylated sequences inside a partially fructosylated polysaccharide having the chondroitin backbone structure, the Escherichia coli K4 polymer, using different analytical approaches. Chondroitin C lyase produced various unsaturated oligosaccharides by acting on an approximately 27%-fructosylated K4 polymer. The online HPLC-ESI-MS approach showed the disaccharide nature of the main species produced by chondroitinase C as DeltaHexA-GalNAc. Furthermore, the non-digested sequences inside the K4 polymer were demonstrated to be oligosaccharides bearing a fructose for each glucuronic acid unit. In fact, unsaturated fully fructosylated oligomers, from tetrasaccharide to decasaccharide (DeltaHexA(Fru)-GalNAc-[GlcA(Fru)-GalNAc](n) with n between 1 and 4), at decreasing percentages, were produced by the enzyme. These results clearly indicate that chondroitinase C cleaved the innermost glucuronic acid-N-acetylgalactosamine linkage without affecting the 1,4 glycosidic linkage between fructosylated glucuronic acid and N-acetylgalactosamine residues, confirming that the 3-O-fructosylation of the GlcA residue renders the polysaccharide resistant to the enzyme action. This novel specific activity of chondroitinase C was also useful for the production of discrete microgram amounts of fully fructosylated oligomers, from 4- to 10-mers, from E. coli K4 for possible further studies and applications.     

Chemical behaviour of cytidine 5'-monophospho-N-acetyl-beta-D-neuraminic acid under neutral and alkaline conditions

The chemical behaviour of CMP-N-acetylneuraminic acid under neutral and different alkaline conditions has been investigated. The products formed were isolated by ion-exchange chromatography and gel filtration and analysed by colorimetric methods, thin-layer chromatography, combined gas-liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry and/or 360-MHz 1H-NMR spectroscopy. A maximum stability of CMP-N-acetylneuraminic acid was observed at pH8-11. In the tested pH range of 6-13, CMP and N-acetylneuraminic acid were formed in variable amounts as decomposition products. 2-Deoxy-2,3-dehydro-N-acetylneuraminic acid was produced at pH greater than 7; the amount of this substance increased with increasing pH. In anhydrous triethylamine its yield was 50%. A new neuraminic acid derivative, N-acetyl-beta-D-neuraminic acid 2-phosphate, could be isolated from the mixture of alkaline decomposition products of CMP-N-acetylneuraminic acid. The yield of this compound was maximum 22% in anhydrous triethylamine. Because 2-deoxy-2,3-dehydro-N-acetylneuraminic acid was formed under simulated physiological conditions, it is assumed that this compound, which occurs in tissues and fluids of man and animals, is derived from CMP-N-acetylneuraminic acid non-enzymically also under conditions in vivo.