The binding kinetics of disaccharides trehalose and trehalose-6-phosphate to repressor protein TreR have been determined using STD NMR and shed light on the contrasting biological roles of these two sugars.

Tandem catalysis by using iron(III) chloride hexahydrate leads to carbohydrate building blocks displaying an orthogonal protecting group pattern as illustrated by the regioselective protection of trehalose and maltose disaccharides.

In many tumors, the amount of chondroitin sulfate in the extracellular matrix has been shown to be elevated when compared to the corresponding normal tissue. Nevertheless, the degree of chondroitin sulfate increase varies widely. In order to investigate a possible correlation between the amount of chondroitin sulfate and tumor size, several individual specimens of human leiomyoma, a benign uter...

Structural determinants of oligosaccharides affecting interaction with the saccharide-binding sites of two lectins, the agglutinin of M, 120,000 and toxin of 82, 60,000 (RCA* and RCA~I, respectively), isolated from Ricinus communis beans have been examined by performing binding studies with iodinated glycopeptides and their degradation products. Association constants can be determined by Scatch...

Heparinase from different sources can eliminate heparin or/and heparan sulfate into various low-molecular weight heparins with different characteristics. Porcine intestinal mucosa heparin was degraded into a series of oligosaccharides by a novel heparinase from the species Sphingobacterium. Disaccharide components from the digests were separated and purified by ultrafiltration and HPLC. Five ma...

Changes in extracellular matrix glycosaminoglycans during the wound repair allowed us to apply the burn model in which therapeutic efficacy of propolis and silver sulfadiazine was compared. Burns were inflicted on four pigs. Glycosaminoglycans isolated from healthy and burned skin were quantified using a hexuronic acid assay, electrophoretic fractionation, and densitometric analyses. Using the ...

Correct description of the free energy of conformation change of disaccharides is important in understanding a variety of biochemical processes and, ultimately, in the manufacture of better food and paper products. In this study, we determine the relative free energy of a series of 12 disaccharides in vacuum using replica exchange molecular dynamics (repMD) simulations. The chosen sugars and th...

RATIONALE Heparin and low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) are widely used as clinical anticoagulants. The determination of their composition and structural heterogeneity still challenges analysts. METHODS Disaccharide compositional analysis, utilizing heparinase-catalyzed depolymerization, is one of the most important ways to evaluate the sequence, structural composition and quality of hepari...

Hyaluronan (HA) and chondroitin sulfate (CS) are glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) with great importance in biological events, since they participate in and regulate cell adhesion, migration and proliferation. Quantitation and analysis of the fine structure of GAGs are increasingly important for understanding many biological processes, among which are many critical aspects of pathology development and ...