title: Analysis of monosaccharides, fatty constituents and rare O-acetylated sialic acids from gonads of the starfish Asterias rubens.
abstract: A previous study (Bergwerff et al., Biochimie 74 (1992) 25-37) reported that sialic acids present in Asterias rubens gonads were essentially composed of 8-methyl-N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc8Me), a large part of it being acetylated in position 9. Using GC/MS of heptafluorobutyrate derivatives (Zanetta et al., Glycobiology 11 (2001) 663-676) on the chloroform/methanol soluble and insoluble fractions, we showed that most sialic acids were found in the latter and demonstrated that all sialic acids were derived from N-glycolylneuraminic acid, most of them being 8-methylated, but that the majority were also acetylated in position 4 or 7 (or both positions). GC/MS analyses of the constituents liberated using acid-catalysed methanolysis verified that major glycoprotein-bound glycans were N-linked and of the gluco-oligomannosidic type. Major fatty acids were poly-unsaturated (especially C20:4) and long-chain bases were C22:1 phytosphingosine and C22:2 6-hydroxysphingenine. Major monosaccharides found in the chloroform/methanol extract (quinovose and fucose) were derived from steroidal saponins.
authors.affiliation: CNRS Unité Mixte de Recherche 8576, Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille Bâtiment C9, 59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq cedex, France. Jean-Pierre.Zanetta@univ-lille1.fr
authors.forename: Jean-Pierre
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Zanetta
authors.forename: Vinayaga
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Srinivasan
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schauer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D047271:Asterias / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000737:chemistry; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis*; D006066:Gonads / Q000737:chemistry*; D015394:Molecular Structure; D009005:Monosaccharides / Q000032:analysis*; D012794:Sialic Acids / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D009005:Monosaccharides; D012794:Sialic Acids