title: Structure of the main saccharide chain in the acrosome reaction-inducing substance of the starfish, Asterias amurensis.
abstract: The structure of the main saccharide chain of the acrosome reaction-inducing substance in the egg jelly coat of the starfish, Asterias amurensis, is composed of the following pentasaccharide repeating units (Structure I). A polymer consisting of 10-11 repeating units has been observed to induce the acrosome reaction in starfish sperm at high calcium concentrations. [STRUCTURE I:see text] The identities and linkage positions of constituent sugars were established using sugar, methylation, and sulfate analyses together with one- and two-dimensional nmr spectroscopy. The structure was supported by the data obtained for desulfation products and the Smith degradation of the polysaccharide.
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Science, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226, Japan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Koyota
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Wimalasiri
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hoshi
mesh_terms: D000177:Acrosome / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D002236:Carbohydrate Conformation; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D002241:Carbohydrates / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D008745:Methylation; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015394:Molecular Structure; D009844:Oligosaccharides / Q000737:chemistry; D009865:Oocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D013084:Sperm-Ovum Interactions; D013215:Starfish
chemical_list: C067898:ARIS protein, Asterias amurensis; D002241:Carbohydrates; D006023:Glycoproteins; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D009844:Oligosaccharides