Incorporation of N-fluoroacetyl-d-glucosamine into hyaluronate by rabbit tracheal explants in organ culture

1. Incubation of rabbit tracheal explants with N-(3)H]acetyl-d-glucosamine and N-acetyl-d-1-(14)C]glucosamine led to labelling of a number of soluble macromolecular products separable from the medium, after papain digestion, by ion-exchange chromatography. 2. With N-acetyl-d-1-(14)C]glucosamine in the incubation medium, a neutral glycoprotein, two acidic glycoprotein fractions, hyaluronic acid and a glycosaminoglycan fraction were obtained and all were radioactively labelled. Similar labelling occurred with N-fluoroacetyl-d-1-(14)C]glucosamine or N-fluoro(3)H]acetylglucosamine as precursor. 3. Maximal labelling was obtained at 96h after incubation of cultures. N-Fluoroacetyl-glucosamine under these conditions was incorporated into hyaluronate less efficiently than N-acetylglucosamine. 4. With N-fluoroacetyl-d-1-(14)C]glucosamine as precursor, a hyaluronate component was separated that on enzymic degradation by glycosidases (hyaluronidase, beta-glucuronidase and N-acetyl-beta-hexosaminidase) yielded a (14)C-labelled oligosaccharide fraction together with N-acetyl-d-1-(14)C]glucosamine and N-fluoroacetyl-d-1-(14)C]glucosamine, consistent with some exchange of N-acetyl groups having occurred. 5. The results on enzymic degradation of labelled macromolecules by glycosidases suggest that the presence of incorporated N-fluoroacetyl side chains may render the hyaluronate analogue more resistant to hyaluronidase.