title: Structural features of carbohydrate chains in human salivary mucins.
abstract: 1. The structure of carbohydrate chains in the low and high molecular weight mucus glycoprotein forms from submandibular-sublingual saliva of individuals with blood group B was investigated. 2. Alkaline borohydride reductive cleavage of the glycoproteins yielded in each case a population of neutral (55%) and acidic (45%) oligosaccharide alditols ranging in size from 3 to 16 sugar units. 3. The predominant neutral oligosaccharides in both glycoprotein forms consisted of 16 and 15 sugar units arranged in triantennary fashion, and carried blood group B and I antigenic determinants. 4. Three of the oligosaccharides in each glycoprotein contained sialic acid and ranged in size from 3 to 12 sugar units. In two oligosaccharides sialic acid was linked to C3 of galactose and in one to C6 of N-acetylgalactosamine. The sulfated oligosaccharide in both glycoproteins was identified as a pentasaccharide with the sulfate ester group at C6 of N-acetylglucosamine. 5. The results demonstrate that contrary to the earlier view the low and high molecular weight mucus glycoprotein forms of human saliva contain identical carbohydrate chains.
authors.affiliation: Research Center, New Jersey Dental School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark 07103-2400.
authors.forename: B L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Slomiany
authors.forename: V L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Murty
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Slomiany
mesh_terms: D000017:ABO Blood-Group System; D000328:Adult; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D002241:Carbohydrates / Q000737:chemistry*; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008970:Molecular Weight; D009077:Mucins / Q000737:chemistry*; D019158:N-Acetylneuraminic Acid; D009844:Oligosaccharides / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry*; D012794:Sialic Acids / Q000032:analysis; D013363:Submandibular Gland / Q000378:metabolism; D013402:Sugar Alcohols / Q000737:chemistry; D001616:beta-Galactosidase / Q000378:metabolism; D001619:beta-N-Acetylhexosaminidases / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000017:ABO Blood-Group System; D002241:Carbohydrates; D006023:Glycoproteins; D009077:Mucins; D009844:Oligosaccharides; D012794:Sialic Acids; D013402:Sugar Alcohols; D001616:beta-Galactosidase; D001619:beta-N-Acetylhexosaminidases; D019158:N-Acetylneuraminic Acid