The determination of aldonic acids and 2-C-methylaldonic acids

Specific, spectrophotometric methods are described for the determination of glyoxylic acid from aldonic acids and pyruvic acid from 2-C-methylaldonic acids, which allow their determination in admixture. Confirmation of the classification of these aldonic acids is obtained by ion-exchange chromatography of the products of periodate oxidation.     

An improved method for the automated determination of meta- and iso-saccharinic acids

Manual and automated spectrophotometric methods are described for the determination of 3-deoxyhexonic and 3-deoxy-2-C-hydroxymethylpentonic acids. The method utilises the chromophores formed by condensation of barbituric acid with the products of oxidation with periodate. This method obviates the need for solvent extraction required when using 2-thiobarbituric acid for chromophore production.     

Automated hypoiodite oxidation of carbohydrates

An automated system is described for the hypoiodite oxidation of aldoses and substituted aldoses to the corresponding aldonic acids. Automated determination of the glyoxylic acid and formaldehyde obtained on oxidation with periodate enables the 3-O-, 4-O-, and 6-O-substituted aldonic acids to be distinguished. The method is applied to the analysis of oligosaccharides in column eluates.     

Effects of chemical disruption on the biological activities of sea urchin egg jelly

In an attempt to relate the biological activities of sea urchin egg jelly to the structural characteristics of the acid glycoprotein molecule, the jelly was oxidized with H₂O₂ and sodium periodate, and digested with trypsin and pronase. The non-dialyzable products of H₂O₂ and periodate oxidation, and a fucose-rich fraction isolated from enzyme-digested jelly by column chromatography, were tested for their capacity to induce sperm agglutination and acrosome reaction in Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus. It was found that a degree of enzyme digestion sufficient to remove about 80% of the amino acids reduced, but failed to eliminate, the capacity of the jelly to elicit agglutination and acrosomal reaction. Mild oxidation with H₂O₂ suppressed sperm agglutination, but more drastic treatment was required to destroy the capacity of the jelly to induce the acrosome reaction. The loss of both these biological activities after periodate oxidation was found to parallel the release of sialic acid.     

Periodate oxidation and alkaline degradation of heparin-related glycans

Heparin, heparan sulphate, and various derivatives thereof have been oxidised with periodate at pH 3.0 and 4° and at pH 7.0 and 37°. Whereas oxidation under the latter conditions destroys all of the nonsulphated uronic acids, treatment with periodate at low pH and temperature causes selective oxidation of uronic acid residues. The reactivity of uronic acid residues depends on the nature of neighbouring 2-amino-2-deoxyglucose residues. d-Glucuronic acid residues are susceptible to oxidation when flanked by N-acetylated amino sugars, but resistant when adjacent residues are either unsubstituted or N-sulphated. L-Iduronic acid residues in their natural environment (2-deoxy-2-sulphoamino-d-glucose) are resistant to oxidation, whereas removal of N-sulphate groups renders a portion of these residues periodate-sensitive. Oxidised uronic acid residues in heparin-related glycans may be cleaved by alkali, producing a series of oligosaccharide fragments. Thus, periodate oxidation-alkaline elimination provides an additional method for the controlled degradation of heparin.     

A new method for the quantitative determination of monosaccharides, amino sugars and N-acetylneuraminic acid and of 6-deoxyhexose (fucose) in the presence of other sugars

1. Monosaccharides, amino sugars and N-acetylneuraminic acid were determined by using an original colorimetric assay procedure, based on the detection of formaldehyde released after periodate oxidation. A range of these compounds was investigated by this method and they were all found to obey Beer's law within the concentration range 0-0.6mumole/ml. 2. A simple method for the determination of 6-deoxyhexose concentration in the presence of other monosaccharides is also described. 3. The optimum pH for the release of formaldehyde from sugars by periodate oxidation was 7.0-7.5. 4. The methods described have considerable advantages over existing assay systems and their particlar value in automatic colorimetry, where the use of concentrated acids is undesirable, is discussed.     

In Vivo Aminoacylation of Transfer Ribonucleic Acid in Bacillus subtilis and Evidence for Differential Utilization of Lysine-Isoaccepting Transfer Ribonucleic Acid Species

The presence or absence of certain amino acids has different effects on the ability of Bacillus subtilis to sporulate, and the intracellular pool size of amino acids has been reported to vary during sporulation. The idea that these variations might exert a regulatory effect through aminoacylation of transfer ribonucleic acid (tRNA) was investigated by studying the levels of aminoacylation in vivo in the logarithmic or stationary phase of growth. Both the periodate oxidation method and the amino acid analyzer were used to evaluate in vivo aminoacylation. The results indicated that in general the level of aminoacylation of tRNA's remained constant through stage III of sporulation, although there were detectable variations for specific amino acid groups. Our studies also showed that periodate oxidation damaged certain tRNA's; therefore, the results obtained by such a method should be interpreted with caution. Because the damage can affect certain isoaccepting species specifically, the periodate oxidation method cannot be used to establish which isoaccepting species are acylated in vivo. We also investigated the possibility of preferential use of particular tRNA species by polyribosomes. These results demonstrated a preferential use of lysyl-tRNA's at different growth stages. Control mechanisms operating during the early stages of sporulation, therefore, do not affect the overall level of aminoacylation. However, there is an effect on the levels of aminoacylation of specific amino acids and on which isoaccepting species are utilized by the polyribosome system.     

Periodate oxidation studies in the elucidation of the structures of sialic acid containing oligosaccharides

The structures of sialo-oligosaccharide alditols as determined by ¹H-NMR spectrometry together with methylation analysis did not correspond with those derived previously from quantitative periodate oxidation data alone. Possible causes of the discrepancy were explored in the periodate oxidation methodology. No free sialic acid was released by the acidity of the periodate in the course of oxidation at pH 4.5. The anionic properties of the sialic acid residues were therefore utilized to separate the periodate oxidation products and thereby establish the position of the sialic acid in the oligosaccharide chain.     

Isolation and Constitution of a Xylan from Bamboo

A xylan from bamboo culm was isolated by extraction with aikali of chlorite holocellulose and fractional precipitation as a copper complex. The structure was investigated by means of examination of acid components by controlled hydrolysis, methylation analysis, and periodate oxidation. As a result, 4-O-methyl-α-D-glucuronic acid and 2-O-(4-O-methyl-α-D-glucopyranosyluronic acid) D-xylose were isolated and identified as acid components of the bamboo xylan. Hydrolysis of the fully methylated products afforded 2,3,5-tri-O- methyl-L-arabinose (1.6 moles), 2,3,4-tri-O-methyl-D-xylose (1.2 moles), 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-methyl-D-glucose(0.4 moles), 2,3-di-O-methyl-D-xylose (35.8 moles) and mono-O-methyl-D-xylose (2.6 moles). In addition to the above methylated sugars, 2,3,4-tri-O-methyl-D-glucuronic acid and partially methylated aldobiouronic acid were separated by cellulose column chromatography and identified. These results suggest that the bamboo xylan consists mainly of a linear backbone of 1,4-linked β-D-xylopyranose unit, to which L-arabinofuranose and 4-O-methyl-D-glucuronic acid were attached as a single side chain unit at C₂ or C₃.

Additional evidence for a linear chain structure has been given by periodate oxidation. On oxidation by periodate, the bamboo xylan consumed 1.09 moles of periodate and produced 0.05 mole of formic acid per anhydroxylose unit.     

Plasmodium berghei: modification of sialic acid on red cells from infected mouse blood

The surface membrane glycoproteins of normal mouse erythrocytes can be labeled by oxidation with either periodate or galactose oxidase in the presence of neuraminidase, followed by reduction with NaB³H₄. Without neuraminidase there is little galactose oxidase-catalyzed labeling of protein. Analysis of labeled proteins by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that both methods labeled the same set of glycoproteins. Plasmodium berghei infection dramatically reduced the sialoglycoprotein labeling of red blood cells from infected blood using the periodate/NaB³H₄ method. Provided neuraminidase was present, labeling by the galactose oxidase method gave identical results to normal erythrocytes. We conclude that the glycoprotein sialic acid of uninfected as well as infected red cells is modified during infection such that it is refractory to periodate oxidation. Acylation of the exocyclic hydroxyls of sialic acid is suggested to account for this. Lectin binding and cell agglutination experiments using Limulin, soybean and wheatgerm lectins, and concanavalin A confirmed and extended these observations. The possible implications of these results with regard to anemia induced by malaria are briefly discussed.     

The periodate oxidation of amino acids with reference to studies on glycoproteins

1. All α-amino acids are oxidized by periodate, but at different rates. 2. The rates of oxidation of individual α-amino acids vary with pH. In general, oxidation proceeds more rapidly at alkaline pH. 3. Serine, threonine, cysteine, cystine, methionine, proline, hydroxyproline, tryptophan, tyrosine and histidine are rapidly and extensively oxidized by periodate. 4. Cysteine, cystine, methionine, tryptophan, tyrosine and histidine are oxidized by periodate when they are substituted in the carboxyl and amino groups, as in a polypeptide chain.     

The synthesis of 3-deoxy-4-O-methyl-D-arabino-2-heptulosonic acid and its behaviour in the Warren reaction

3-Deoxy-4-O-methyl-D-arabino-2-heptulosonic acid was synthesized in six steps starting from 2-deoxy-D-arabino-hexose. Treatment with periodate-thiobarbiturate (Warren reaction) gave a positive reaction with a molar absorption coefficient of 3700 to 5000 depending on the conditions of the periodate oxidation. It is suggested that the Warren reaction, which is eminently suitable for the detection of 3-deoxy-aldulosonic acids, should not be used for the quantitative estimation of 3-deoxy-2-aldulosonic acids of undetermined substitution pattern.     

Simultaneous determination of iodate and periodate by capillary zone electrophoresis: application to carbohydrate analysis

Iodate and periodate were rapidly (in 11 min) separated from each other with high column efficiency by capillary zone electrophoresis, using a fused silica tube (50 microns i.d., 80 cm) and 100 mM acetate buffer, pH 4.5, as carrier. On-column uv detection at 222 nm allowed sensitive detection down to the picomole level, and measurement of relative peak area to that of pyromellitic acid (internal standard) enabled reproducible determination of these ions. This method was proved useful for periodate oxidation analysis of various carbohydrates.     

On the basic structure of poly(glycerophosphate) lipoteichoic acids

Poly(glycerophosphate) lipoteichoic acids from 24 Gram-positive bacteria of the genera Bacillus, Enterococcus, Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Listeria, Staphylococcus, and the streptococcal pyogenic and oral group were analyzed. The 1,3-linked poly(glycerophosphate) structure was proved by analysis of glycerol and glycerophosphates after acid and alkaline hydrolysis. Using the molar ratios of glycolipid to phosphorus (A) and phosphomonoester to phosphorus after periodate oxidation followed by hydrazinolysis (B) or beta-elimination (C), we show that all lipoteichoic acids contain a single unbranched poly(glycerophosphate) chain and that the chain is uniformly phosphodiester-linked to C-6 of the nonreducing hexopyranosyl residue of the glycolipid moiety. On some chains minor phosphate-containing substituents were detected whose structure remains to be clarified. The lipoteichoic acids of enterococci and listeria strains were separated by hydrophobic interaction chromatography into glycolipid- and phosphatidylglycolipid-containing molecular species. The phosphatidylglycolipid moieties were structurally characterized after liberation from lipoteichoic acids with moist acetic acid. After periodate oxidation of lipoteichoic acids beta-elimination released both phosphatidic acid and the poly(glycerophosphate) chain. This indicates together with the sequence analysis of the released phosphatidylglycolipid that the phosphatidyl residue is located at C-6 of the reducing hexosyl residue of the glycolipid moiety and the poly(glycerophosphate) chain at C-6 of the nonreducing one. Together with earlier observations these results complete the evidence for the structural and possibly biosynthetic relationship between lipoteichoic acids and glycerophosphoglycolipids.     

The phenyl - and -L-idopyranosiduronic acids and some other aryl glycopyranosiduronic acids

Condensation of 1,2,3,4,6-penta-O-acetyl-á-l-idopyranose (1) with phenol yielded phenyl 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-α- (2) and α-l-idopyranoside (4). Deacetylation of 2 and 4 afforded phenyl α and β-l-idopyranosides (3 and 5), respectively, the structures of which were verified by periodate oxidation studies. A platinum-catalyzed oxidation of 3 and 5 produced the amorphous phenyl α- and β-L-idopyranosiduronic acids (9 and 11), respectively, which were isolated as the crystalline cyclohexylammonium salts. Phenyl β- and α-d-glucopyranosiduronic acids are apparent minor byproducts of the catalytic oxidations, resulting from an inversion at C-5. _p-Nitrophenyl α-d-mannopyranosiduronic acid and _p-nitrophenyl α- and β-d-galactopyranosiduronic acids are also described.     

Panagrellus redivivus: failure to find evidence for the occurrence and biosynthesis of sialic acids.

The occurrence of sialic acids in the free-living nematode Panagrellus redivivus was studied by periodate oxidation/[3H]sodium borohydride reduction of about 10(7) nematodes. In parallel, the capability of sialic acid biosynthesis was examined by metabolic labeling of the same number of nematodes with N-[3H]acetylmannosamine. In both experiments, radioactivity was incorporated into the nematodes. Mild acid hydrolysis, however, did not release radioactively labeled sialic acids or derivatives as tested by radio thin-layer chromatography, suggesting that P. redivivus does not contain or synthesize sialic acids.     

A Microcolorimetric Method for the Determination of Quinic Acid and its Content in Flue-cured Tobacco

The colored compound produced by the reaction of periodate oxidation product of quinic acid with sodium nitroprusside and piperazine can be used as a quantitative measure of the quinic acid. The curve is linear for the acid examined in the range of 25 to 150,μg of quinic acid per 1 ml. Hence, the reaction provides a convenient method for the determination of the micro quantities of quinic acid obtained from tobacco extracts fractionated by chromatography on paper or ion exchange-resin column. The content of quinic acid in flue-cured tobacco was 0.23 per cent to dry matter.     

The mechanism of the periodate–thiobarbituric acid reaction of sialic acids

1. The chromogen formation from N-acetylneuraminic acid in the periodate-thiobarbituric acid reaction was investigated. Measurement of periodate consumption showed an uptake of approx. 3moles/mole of substrate in neutral as well as in strongly acidic solution. Therefore the chromogen beta-formylpyruvic acid is not a direct product of the periodate oxidation; it is presumed to be formed from the true oxidation product, a hexos-5-uluronic acid, by aldol splitting during the reaction in hot acidic solution with thiobarbituric acid. 2. Methyl (methyl beta-l-threo-hexos-4-enepyranosid)uronate, an analogue of the pre-chromogen, has been shown to yield with thiobarbituric acid in acidic solution a pigment exhibiting an identical absorption spectrum and showing the same behaviour on paper chromatography as the pigment obtained from N-acetylneuraminic acid in the periodate-thiobarbituric acid assay. 3. The substitution at C-2 of methoxyneuraminic acid does not inhibit the periodate-thiobarbituric acid reaction. In neutral solution methoxyneuraminic acid is oxidized by periodate to a substance that reacts readily with thiobarbituric acid in acidic solution. When periodate oxidation is attempted in acidic solution, protonation of the amino group protects this group against oxidation, rendering methoxyneuraminic acid negative in the assay systems of Warren (1959a,b) and Aminoff (1959, 1961).     

Mechanism of lymphocyte activation by periodic acids. Blastogenesis and induction of immunomodulator populations]

Mild periodate treatment is mitogenic for T lymphocytes. With murine spleen cells periodate oxidation is effective between C8 and C9 on sialyl acid residues. With human blood lymphocytes this oxidation occurs between C7 and C8 of these residues. In vitro immune response is inhibited by periodate treatment. Activation of an immunosuppressive T lymphocyte population is obtained. Similar results are performed with human blood lymphocytes.     

6 alpha-glucuronidation of hyodeoxycholic acid by human liver, kidney and small bowel microsomes

Kinetic constants for the glucuronidation of hyodeoxycholic acid in man were determined using microsomal preparations of liver, kidney and small bowel. The affinity of hyodeoxycholic acid for the microsomal hepatic and extrahepatic enzymes was in the same range as previously observed for the monohydroxy bile acid lithocholic acid and about 3-14-times the affinity for the dihydroxy bile acids chenodeoxycholic, deoxycholic and ursodeoxycholic acids. The Vmax values for glucuronidation of hyodeoxycholic acid with hepatic microsomes were 10-30-times higher and with kidney microsomes 50-110-times higher than for the bile acids lacking a 6 alpha-hydroxy group. The site of glucuronidation was determined by gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric analysis of derivatives of products formed after periodate and chromic acid oxidation. Hyodeoxycholic acid glucuronides synthesized with microsomal preparations from the three organs were all found to be conjugated at the 6 alpha position. This has previously been shown to be the site of glucuronidation of endogenous hyodeoxycholic acid glucuronide excreted in urine.