title: Localization and characterization of acharan sulfate in the body of the giant African snail Achatina fulica.
abstract: Acharan sulfate is a glycosaminoglycan (GAG), having the structure -->4)-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-alpha-D-glucopyranose(1-->4)-2-sulfo-alpha-L-idopyranosyluronic acid (1-->, isolated from the body of the giant African snail Achatina fulica. This GAG represents 3-5% of the dry weight of this snail's soft body tissues. Frozen sections and polyester wax sections of the snail's body were stained by Alcian blue-periodic acid-Schiff's reagent (PAS) to localize acharan sulfate. Alcian blue staining indicated that GAG was mainly secreted into the outer surface of the body from internal granules. A highly mucous material was collected and treated and the acharan sulfate was recovered by ethanol and cetyl pyridinium chloride precipitation. Crude acharan sulfate was purified by DEAE-Sephacel ion-exchange chromatography. Depolymerization of intact mucus and purified acharan sulfate fractions by heparin lyase II (heparitinase I) from Flavobacterium heparinum produced an unsaturated disaccharide as a major product, establishing the repeating unit of acharan sulfate. These results demonstrate that mucus in the granule and secreted to the outside of the body is composed entirely of acharan sulfate.
authors.affiliation: Natural Products Research Institute, Seoul National University, Seoul 110-460, South Korea.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Toida
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Muneta
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kosiishi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Imanari
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Linhardt
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Y S
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000423:Alcian Blue / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D002852:Chromatography, Ion Exchange; D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D004587:Electrophoresis, Agar Gel; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D006025:Glycosaminoglycans / Q000737:chemistry*; D019763:Heparin Lyase / Q000378:metabolism; D008956:Models, Chemical; D009093:Mucus / Q000378:metabolism; D011091:Polyesters / Q000737:chemistry; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000737:chemistry; D011487:Protein Conformation; D012908:Snails; D013997:Time Factors; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D004396:Coloring Agents; D006025:Glycosaminoglycans; D011091:Polyesters; D011134:Polysaccharides; C106771:acharan sulfate; D019763:Heparin Lyase; D000423:Alcian Blue