Structural Studies on the Galactan from the Albumin Gland of A chatina fulica

The structure of the galactan isolated from the albumin gland o f Achatina fulica (African giant snail) was investigated by methylation analyses. The m olecule is highly branched. The linkages o f the exclusively present D-galactose are 1 —► 3 and/or 1 —> 6 . From lectin binding studies it was learnt that the 1 -* 3 linkages possess ^-configuration. The anomeric configuration o f the 1 -» 6 linkage is unknown. A tentative structure o f the galactan is proposed.