title: Isolation of a collagen fraction from the body-wall glycoproteins of the leech (Hirudo medicinalis), and characterization of its carbohydrate--amino acid portion.
abstract: Fractionation of the leech (Hirudo medicinalis) body-wall glycoproteins yielded a collagen fraction containing only D-glucose and D-galactose as its carbohydrate constituents. Digestion of the collagen with trypsin and pronase, and alkaline degradation of the resulting glycopeptides, gave a product that contained a disaccharide linked to hydroxylysine. Mild, acid hydrolysis of the N-acetylated glycopeptides yielded a disaccharide consisting of a D-glucose and a D-galactose residue. Various chemical and enzymic reactions of the disaccharide, the glycosyloxylysine, and the glycopeptide fraction indicated that the disaccharide is 2-O-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl-D-galactose, and that this is beta-glycosidically linked to O-5 of the hydroxylysine residue in the collagen.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D002621:Chemistry; D003094:Collagen / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005690:Galactose / Q000032:analysis; D005947:Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000032:analysis; D006901:Hydroxylysine / Q000032:analysis; D007865:Leeches / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D006023:Glycoproteins; D006901:Hydroxylysine; D003094:Collagen; D005947:Glucose; D005690:Galactose