Structural elucidation of a novel fucogalactan that contains 3-O-methyl rhamnose isolated from the fruiting bodies of the fungus, Hericium erinaceus

A new heteropolysaccharide, HEPF3, was isolated from the fruiting bodies of Hericium erinaceus. HEPF3 has a molecular weight of 1.9 x 10(4) Da and is composed of fucose and galactose in a ratio of 1:4.12. Compositional analysis, methylation analysis, together with 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy established that HEPF3 consists of a branched pentasaccharide repeating unit with the following structure: [structure: see text]. HEPF3 also contains a minor proportion of 3-O-methylrhamnose that is thought to terminate the polymer main chain.