title: Weak self-association in a carbohydrate system.
abstract: The physiological importance of weak interactions between biological macromolecules (molar dissociation constants >10 microM) is now well recognized, particularly with regard to cell adhesion and immunological phenomena, and many weak interactions have been measured for proteins. The concomitant importance of carbohydrate-carbohydrate interactions has also been identified, although no weak interaction between pure carbohydrate systems has ever been measured. We now demonstrate for the first time to our knowledge using a powerful probe for weak interactions--sedimentation velocity in the analytical ultracentrifuge--that at least some carbohydrates (from the class of polysaccharides known as heteroxylans and demonstrated here to be biologically active) can show well-defined weak self-interactions of the "monomer-dimer" type frequently found in protein systems. The weak interaction between the heteroxylans is shown from a temperature dependence study to be likely to be hydrophobic in nature.
authors.affiliation: National Centre for Macromolecular Hydrodynamics, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Sutton Bonington, LE12 5RD, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Trushar R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: Stephen E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Harding
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ebringerova
authors.forename: Marcin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Deszczynski
authors.forename: Zdenka
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Hromadkova
authors.forename: Adiaratou
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Togola
authors.forename: Berit Smestad
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Paulsen
authors.forename: Gordon A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.forename: Arthur J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Rowe
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002241:Carbohydrates / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003165:Complement System Proteins; D004043:Dietary Fiber; D019281:Dimerization; D007700:Kinetics; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008970:Molecular Weight; D009005:Monosaccharides / Q000032:analysis; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D013213:Starch; D014461:Ultracentrifugation; D014990:Xylans / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002241:Carbohydrates; D004043:Dietary Fiber; D009005:Monosaccharides; D011134:Polysaccharides; D014990:Xylans; D013213:Starch; D003165:Complement System Proteins