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Poly‐amido‐saccharides (PASs): Characterization of the Secondary Structure and Protein Interactions
Author(s) -
Blessing William,
Chin Stacy,
Dane Eric,
Grinstaff Mark
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.29.1_supplement.lb95
Subject(s) - chemistry , pyranose , glycobiology , monomer , polysaccharide , biochemistry , combinatorial chemistry , polymer , biophysics , glycan , glycoprotein , organic chemistry , biology
Natural polysaccharides are of significant interest in chemistry and biochemical research because of their structural diversity and essential roles in physiological processes. Many proteins are known to interact with natural carbohydrates to illicit a physiological or metabolic response. Challenges of studying these responses stem from obtaining the carbohydrate polymers, especially of high molecular weights. Currently, they must be extracted, which can introduce variation between samples and require extensive purification. We have developed a method using anionic ring‐opening polymerization to synthesize high‐yields of enantiopure carbohydrate‐based polymers: poly‐amido‐saccharides (PASs). PASs can be synthesized with consistency, defined molecular weights, low polydispersity, and high functionalization. PASs contain the distinct chiral, cyclic main‐chain structure and pyranose backbone and are joined by an unnatural α‐(1,2)‐amide linkage, which affords PASs with unique chemical properties and structures. The helical structure of PASs elucidated through circular dichroism equips PASs with a multitude of potential functionalities including protein stabilization. This is crucial to investigate protein‐carbohydrate interactions that are necessary for protein stability. Here, we will describe how the structure of PASs contributes to its capability to stabilize proteins by comparing PASs derived from glucose and galactose based monomeric units and a mixture of both monomeric units. Furthermore, we will use PASs as a novel synthetic tool to mimic and probe carbohydrate‐protein‐mediated processes such as binding with lectin concanavalin A and galactose receptor‐mediated endocytosis.