title: Neutral and acidic milk oligosaccharides of the striped skunk (Mephitidae: Mephitis mephitis).
abstract: The biological significance of the tremendous variation in proportions of oligosaccharides and lactose among mammalian milks is poorly understood. We investigated milk oligosaccharides of the striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis) and compared these results to other species of the clade Mustelida. Individual oligosaccharides were identified by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. In the striped skunk, six oligosaccharides were identified: isoglobotriose, 2'-fucosyllactose, A-tetrasaccharide, Galili pentasaccharide, 3'-sialyllactose and monosialyl monogalactosyl lacto-N-neohexaose. Four of these have been found in related Mustelida and the other two in more distantly related carnivorans. The neutral and acidic oligosaccharides derive from three core structures: lactose (Gal(β1-4)Glc), lacto-N-neotetraose (Gal(β1-4)GlcNAc(β1-3)Gal(β1-4)Glc) and lacto-N-neohexaose (Gal(β1-4)GlcNAc(β1-3)[Gal(β1-4)GlcNAc(β1-6)]Gal(β1-4)Glc).
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Animal and Food Hygiene, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido, Japan.
authors.forename: Epi
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Taufik
authors.forename: Nobuhiro
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sekii
authors.forename: Akitsugu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Senda
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fukuda
authors.forename: Tadao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Regina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Eisert
authors.forename: Olav T
authors.initials: OT
authors.lastname: Oftedal
authors.forename: Tadasu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Urashima
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007785:Lactose / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D012889:Mephitidae; D008892:Milk / Q000737:chemistry*; D009844:Oligosaccharides / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011522:Protons; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D009844:Oligosaccharides; D011522:Protons; D007785:Lactose
keywords: Mephitidae; lactose; milk oligosaccharides; striped skunk