Advances in Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biochemistry 

About: Advances in Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biochemistry is an academic journal published by Elsevier BV. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Chemistry & Carbohydrate chemistry. It has an ISSN identifier of 0065-2318. Over the lifetime, 314 publications have been published receiving 29212 citations.

The lectins : carbohydrate-binding proteins of plants and animals

Abstract: Publisher Summary Lectins play an important role in the development of immunology. Lectins also find application in serological laboratories for typing blood and determining secretor status, separating leucocytes from erythrocytes, and agglutinating cells from blood in the preparation of plasma. They serve as reagents for the detection, isolation, and characterization of carbohydrate-containing macromolecules, including blood-group antigens. In their interaction with saccharides, lectins serve as models for carbohydrate-specific antibodies, with the important advantage to purify lectins in gram quantities. Lectins are classified according to their carbohydrate-binding specificity that includes D-mannose(D-glucose)-binding lectins and 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-glucose-binding lectins. The chapter considers only those lectins that have been purified to homogeneity, and studied with regard to their biophysical, biochemical, and carbohydrate-binding specificity. The chapter also describes the cell-binding and biological properties of lectins. The chapter concludes with the description of several glycopeptide structures showing the carbohydrate-binding loci with which various lectins interact.

Carbon-13 Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy of Monosaccharides

Abstract: Publisher Summary This chapter provides an overview of the 13 Carbon-nuclear magnetic resonance ( 13 C-NMR) spectroscopy of monosaccharides. The 13 C-NMR spectroscopy has become increasingly important as a tool for the characterization and structural elucidation of sugars and their derivatives. Although 13 C-NMR is closely related to 1 H-NMR spectroscopy, especially when both types of spectra are recorded with Fourier-transform instruments, the two techniques are sufficiently different to be valuable complements to each other. In many cases, in particular when dealing with complex molecules such as polysaccharides, the amount of information obtainable from 1 H-NMR spectra is limited as compared to that revealed by 13 C- NMR spectra. This chapter provides an almost complete collection of 13 C- NMR chemical shifts of monosaccharides, their methyl glycosides, and acetates, along with the examples of shift data for as many different types of monosaccharide derivative as possible. It also provides details on sampling techniques and assignment techniques, and discusses the identity of monosaccharides, their structure determination, and conformational analysis .

Chemistry, Metabolism, and Biological Functions of Sialic Acids

Abstract: Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the chemistry, metabolism, and biological functions of sialic acids. Interest in the sialic acids has rapidly increased in recent years, especially because of the reorganization of their involvement in the regulation of a great variety of biological phenomena. The occurrence of sialic acids in plants has never unequivocally been established, although some positive reports exist. The acylneuraminic acids can be released from their glycosidic linkages either by dilute (aqueous or methanolic) acids or sialidases. The unequivocal determination of sialic acids occurring in low concentrations in many biological materials is rather difficult, and this explains the many errors that have been made in this field. The biosynthesis of N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) is briefly reported in this chapter and more attention is given to the enzyme reactions modifying this compound. Little information is available about the role of the modifications of sialic acid resulting in a species- and tissue-specific distribution of different N,O-acylated and O-methylated sialic acids.

High-Resolution, 1H-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy as a Tool in the Structural Analysis of Carbohydrates Related to Glycoproteins

Abstract: Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the application of high-resolution, 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to the structural analysis of carbohydrates related to glycoproteins. Glycoproteins are biopolymers consisting of a polypeptide backbone bearing one or more covalently linked carbohydrate chains. The carbohydrate chains of glycoproteins may be classified according to the type of linkage to the polypeptide backbone. N-Glycosylic chains are attached to the amide group of asparagine (Asn), whereas the O-glycosylic chains are linked to the hydroxyl group of amino acid residues such as serine (Ser), threonine (Thr), and hydroxylysine (Hyl). The high-resolution, 1H-NMR spectroscopy technique, in conjunction with methylation analysis, is extremely suitable for the structural studies of N-, as well as on O-, glycosylic glycans. For the interpretation of the 1H-NMR spectrum of a carbohydrate chain in terms of primary structural assignments, the concept of “structural reporter groups” was developed. This means that the chemical shifts of protons resonating at clearly distinguishable positions in the spectrum, together with their coupling constants and the line widths of their signals, bear the information essential to permit the assigning of the primary structure. This chapter presents literature data on the high-resolution, 1H-NMR spectroscopy of carbohydrates derived from glycoconjugates. It also discusses the results for carbohydrates related to the glycoproteins of N-glycosylic type.