title: Molecular Structure of Human-Liver Glycogen.
abstract: Glycogen is a highly branched glucose polymer which is involved in maintaining blood-sugar homeostasis. Liver glycogen contains large composite α particles made up of linked β particles. Previous studies have shown that the binding which links β particles into α particles is impaired in diabetic mice. The present study reports the first molecular structural characterization of human-liver glycogen from non-diabetic patients, using transmission electron microscopy for morphology and size-exclusion chromatography for the molecular size distribution; the latter is also studied as a function of time during acid hydrolysis in vitro, which is sensitive to certain structural features, particularly glycosidic vs. proteinaceous linkages. The results are compared with those seen in mice and pigs. The molecular structural change during acid hydrolysis is similar in each case, and indicates that the linkage of β into α particles is not glycosidic. This result, and the similar morphology in each case, together imply that human liver glycogen has similar molecular structure to those of mice and pigs. This knowledge will be useful for future diabetes drug targets.
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430030, China.
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430030, China.|Centre for Nutrition and Food Science, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia.|Program in Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada.
authors.forename: Mitchell A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Sullivan
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Wuhan General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command, Wuluo Road 627, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China.
authors.forename: Cheng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery, Wuhan Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430030, China.
authors.forename: Jialun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430030, China.|Centre for Nutrition and Food Science, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia.
authors.forename: Prudence O
authors.initials: PO
authors.lastname: Powell
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430030, China.
authors.forename: Zhenxia
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430030, China.|Centre for Nutrition and Food Science, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia.
authors.forename: Robert G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Gilbert
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006868:Hydrolysis; D008112:Liver Glycogen / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008875:Middle Aged; D015394:Molecular Structure; D013045:Species Specificity; D013552:Swine
chemical_list: D008112:Liver Glycogen