Action of porcine-pancreatic amylase on oxidized-reduced amylose of low degree of modification

Amylose was oxidized with 0.1–0.2 mol of periodate per glucose residue (G), and then reduced with sodium borohydride or borotritide to give an oxidized-reduced amylose of low degree of modification. Mild acid hydrolysis gave erythritol, 2-O-α-d-glucosyl-l-erythritol, higher homologs, and other products. Extensive action of porcine-pancreatic amylase on the polymer gave, besides d-glucose and maltose, oligosaccharides containing one or more oxidized-reduced (modified, M), acyclic residues. The enzymic products containing only one oxidized-reduced residue were identified as a modified tetrasaccharide (MG₃) and a modified pentasaccharide (MG₄). Structures of MG₃ and MG₄ were identified by a combination of enzymic and chemical approaches. With glucoamylase, MG₄ was converted into MG plus d-glucose, whereas MG₃ was totally resistant. On mild acidic hydrolysis, MG₃ was converted into 2-O-α-d-glucosyl-d-erythritol plus maltose. These results indicate that MG₃ is G-M-G-G and that MG₄ is G-G-M-G-G. In principle, MG₄ could occupy the five d-glucose residue, substrate-binding site of porcine-pancreatic amylase in such a way that M, the acyclic structure replacing a d-glucose residue, is placed just to the “left” of the catalytic site. The modified structure, being very vulnerable to acidic hydrolysis, might then be expected to be very readily attacked by the amylase, but in fact, it is not.