title: NMR characterization of the structure of a beta-(1-->3)-D-glucan isolate from cultured fruit bodies of Sparassis crispa.
abstract: SCG, a purified beta-d-glucan, obtained from Sparassis crispa, exhibits various biological activities including an antitumor effect, enhancement of the hematopoietic response in cyclophosphamide-induced leukopenic mice, and induction of the production of cytokines. The mechanisms of these effects have been extensively investigated; however, an unambiguous structural characterization of SCG is yet to be achieved. It is well accepted that the biological effects of beta-glucan depend on its primary structures, conformation, and molecular weight. In the present study, we examine the difference of biological effects among beta-glucans, elucidate the primary structure of SCG, and compare with SPG from Schizophyllum commune using NMR spectroscopy. Our data reveal that SCG but not SPG induce cytokine production from bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs) and their major structural units are a beta-(1-->3)-d-glucan backbone with single beta-(1-->6)-d-glucosyl side branching units every three residues.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Immunopharmacology of Microbial Products, School of Pharmacy, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Science, 1432-1, Horinouchi, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0392, Japan.
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tada
authors.forename: Toshie
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Harada
authors.forename: Noriko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nagi-Miura
authors.forename: Yoshiyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Adachi
authors.forename: Mitsuhiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakajima
authors.forename: Toshiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yadomae
authors.forename: Naohito
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ohno
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D005638:Fruit; D005936:Glucans / Q000737:chemistry*; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000378:metabolism; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000737:chemistry*; D011714:Pyrans / Q000737:chemistry; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism; D047071:beta-Glucans / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D005936:Glucans; D015850:Interleukin-6; D011134:Polysaccharides; D011714:Pyrans; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D047071:beta-Glucans