title: Application of novel analytical ultracentrifuge analysis to solutions of fungal mannans.
abstract: Polysaccharides, the most abundant biopolymers, are required for a host of activities in lower organisms, animals, and plants. Their solution characterization is challenging due to their complex shape, heterogeneity, and size. Here, recently developed data analysis approaches were applied for traditional sedimentation equilibrium and velocity methods in order to investigate the molar mass distribution(s) of a subtype of polysaccharide, namely, mannans from four Candida spp. The molecular weight distributions of these mannans were studied using two recently developed equilibrium approaches: SEDFIT-MSTAR and MULTISIG, resulting in corroboratory distribution profiles. Additionally, sedimentation velocity data for all four mannans, analyzed using ls-g*(s) and Extended Fujita approaches, suggest that two of the fungal mannans (FM-1 and FM-3) have a unimodal distribution of molecular species whereas two others (FM-2 and FM-4) displayed bi-modal and broad distributions, respectively: this demonstrates considerable molecular heterogeneity in these polysaccharides, consistent with previous observations of mannans and polysaccharides in general. These methods not only have applications for the characterization of mannans but for other biopolymers such as polysaccharides, DNA, and proteins (including intrinsically disordered proteins).
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, UK. richard.gillis@nottingham.ac.uk.|National Centre for Macromolecular Hydrodynamics, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington, LE12 5RD, UK. richard.gillis@nottingham.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Richard B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Gillis
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, UK.|National Centre for Macromolecular Hydrodynamics, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington, LE12 5RD, UK.
authors.forename: Gary G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Adams
authors.affiliation: Functional Nanomaterials Lab, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: David T M
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Besong
authors.affiliation: Centre of Glycomics, Institute of Chemistry, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, 84548, Slovakia.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Machová
authors.affiliation: Centre of Glycomics, Institute of Chemistry, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, 84548, Slovakia.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ebringerová
authors.affiliation: National Centre for Macromolecular Hydrodynamics, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington, LE12 5RD, UK.
authors.forename: Arthur J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Rowe
authors.affiliation: National Centre for Macromolecular Hydrodynamics, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington, LE12 5RD, UK.
authors.forename: Stephen E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Harding
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Alberta RNA Research and Training Institute, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, AB, T1K 3M4, Canada. trushar.patel@uleth.ca.
authors.forename: Trushar R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Patel
mesh_terms: D002175:Candida / Q000737:chemistry*; D008351:Mannans / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008970:Molecular Weight; D012996:Solutions; D014461:Ultracentrifugation / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D008351:Mannans; D012996:Solutions
keywords: AUC; Extended Fujita approach; MULTISIG; SEDFIT-MSTAR; Sedimentation