Structure of a galactan from cell walls of Bifidobacterium catenulatum YIT4016

• Published in: Carbohydrate research Vol. 281; no. 2; pp. 285 - 291
• Main Authors: Nagaoka, Masato, Hashimoto, Shusuke, Shibata, Hideyuki, Kimura, Itsuko, Kimura, Kazumasa, Sawada, Haruji, Yokokura, Teruo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Ltd 23.02.1996
• Subjects: Bifidobacteria; Bifidobacterium - chemistry; Bifidobacterium - ultrastructure; Carbohydrate Sequence; Cell wall; Cell Wall - chemistry; Galactan; Galactans - chemistry; Glycoside Hydrolases; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Molecular Sequence Data; Molecular Structure; Polysaccharides - chemistry; Bifidobacteria; Galactan; Cell wall
• ISSN: 0008-6215; 1873-426X
• DOI: 10.1016/0008-6215(95)00354-1

A structural study was carried out on a galactose-rich polysaccharide fraction isolated from cell walls of Bifidobacterium catenulatum YIT4016 after N-acetylmuramidase digestion. The polysaccharide contained galactose and glucosamine in a molar ratio of 16.9:1.0. Data obtained by 13C NMR spectroscopy showed that the backbone chain of this polysaccharide is composed of galactofuranose residues, while the branches consist of galactopyranosyl residues. Furthermore, the data obtained from NaIO 4 oxidation, partial methanolysis and methylation analysis indicated that this polysaccharide consists of a trisaccharide repeating unit having the following structure: [→6) βminus; D− Galf− D− Galf(1→] n