Purification and Properties of Bacterial Chondroitinases and Chondrosulfatases

Effect of fixation upon the histochemistry of glycosaminoglycans (mucopolysaccharides) in intraoral wounds

Intraoral wounds and biochemical films were examined to determine the best method of fixation for glycosaminoglycans. Tissues fixed in 1% cetyl pyridinium chloride-10% formalin stained intensely with preparations of Alcian blue. When these tissues were treated with Streptomyces hyaluronidase and bacterial chondroitinases, staining was comparable to untreated tissues fixed in only 10% formalin. The addition of cetyl pyridinium chloride to formalin fixatives was a requirement for glycosaminoglycan histochemistry in open wounds, and presumably in other tissues that contain these complex sugars.

Correlation of quantitative changes of gastric mucosal glycoproteins with aspirin-induced gastric damage in rats

Quantitative changes of gastric mucosal glycoproteins with the gastric damage induced by acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) in rat have been studied. Gastric injury was easily observed macroscopically within one hour after the oral administration of aspirin. The most striking changes occurred at five hours, and the injury was overcome within nine hours after dosing. The glycoproteins extracted from rat stomack with Tris buffer containing Triton X-100 were fractionated on Bio-Gel A-1.5 m column chromatography and divided into three fractions. The first peak, corresponding to gastric mucus macromolecular neutral and acidic glycoproteins with or without sulphate (Fr.I), was diminished after aspirin administration. A considerable alteration of Fr.I (49% of control) appeared at three hours, and a gradual return to the control value was observed subsequently. The changes in the amount of the glycoproteins were detected before the macroscopical changes of the mucosa. These results suggest that gastric ulceration induced by aspirin may be caused by a deficiency of gastric mucus macromolecular glycoproteins of gastric mucus.

Enzymatic studies of urinary isomeric chondroitin sulfates from patients with mucopolysaccharidoses. The application of high performance liquid chromatography

The high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method for the determination of unsaturated sulfated disaccharides is a comprehensive and reliable method which expedites ensymatic studies of isomeric chondroitin sulfates. Responses for these unsaturated disaccharides derived from urinary chondroitin sulfates were linear from 100 ng to 10 micrograms injected and good quantitation was obtained for 25 microliters or less of samples placed on the column. This method which is more sensitive and accurate than methods now being used has considerable potential for the chemical diagnosis of patients with mucopolysaccharidoses and for the clarification of glycosaminoglycan structure. The isomeric chondroitin sulfates in urines from patients with mucopolysaccharidoses were studied by enzyme digestion with chondroitinases followed by HPLC determination of the sulfated unsaturated disaccharides produced. Evaluation by HPLC of the unsaturated 4-sulfated disaccharide produced by digestion of the urinary GAG with chondroitinases ABC and AC revealed rapidly and quantitatively the large amounts of dermatan sulfate present in Hurler, Hunter, and Maroteaux-Lamy urines. Chondroitin 4-sulfate predominated in Sanfilippo urinary isomeric chondroitin sulfates whereas chondroitin 6-sulfate and chondroitin 4-sulfate were shown to be present in nearly equal amounts in Morquio urine. An oversulfated chondroitin sulfate was detected in small amounts in some of these urines. This was demonstrated by the detection of an unsaturated disulfated disaccharide after digestion with chondroitinase ABC but not with chondroitinase AC.

The common identity of UDP-N-acetylgalactosamine 4-sulfatase, nitrocatechol sulfatase (arylsulfatase), and chondroitin 4-sulfatase

Evidence is presented indicating that three sulfatase activities towards UDP-N-acetylgalactosamine 4-sulfate, nitrocatechol sulfate, and chondroitin 4-sulfate are functions of the same hen oviduct enzyme. Using chondroitin [35S]sulfate from chick embryo cartilage, it is shown that hydrolysis of ester sulfate by this enzyme is limited to 4-sulfate groups occurring in the non-reducing terminal N-acetylgalactosamine 4-sulfate and N-acetylgalactosamine 4,6-bissulfate residues.

Identification of sulfated mucopolysaccharides including heparin in the lesional skin of a patient with mastocytosis

Comparison of the [35S]mucopolysaccharides extracted after in vitro incubation of skin biopsy specimens from nonlesional and lesional sites of a patient with mastocytosis showed that lesional sites incorporated sulfate into heparin. After in vitro incorporation of the [35S]sulfate, the tissues were extracted sequentially by a 3-step procedure which utilized high salt concentrations, enzymatic digestion and base hydrolysis to liberate essentially all the counts. The extracted [35S]mucopolysaccharides were separated from free [35S]sulfate, histamine, protein, and hyaluronic acid by ion-exchange chromatography utilizing Dowex 1. The [35S]mucopolysaccharide extracts of the nonlesional skin were completely degraded by treatment with chondroitinase ABC, as they age predominantly dermatan sulfate with small amounts of chondroitin sulfates. The absolute quantity of sulfated mucopolysaccharides after Dowex 1 chromatography in micrograms of uronic acid per mg wet weight of starting tissue was higher in the lesional than the nonlesional specimen, while the specific incorporation of [35S]sulfate per microgram of uronic acid was the same. Approximately one-half of the [35S]mucopolysaccharides obtained in the 3 sequential extracts of lesional tissue was resistant to degradation by chondroitinase ABC as determined by gel filtration before and after enzyme treatment, indicating the presence of sulfated mucopolysaccharides in addition to chondroitin and dermatan sulfates. Heparinase treatment of the chondroitinase ABC-resistant [35S]mucopolysaccharides followed by gel filtration revealed an equal distribution of label between heparin and heparinase-resistant material presumed to be heparan sulfate. Heparin was also directly demonstrated in extracts of lesional mastocytosis skin by chemical and functional criteria.

Quantitation of collagen - proteoglycan interaction in tissue sections

Since the dye Sirius Red reacts with the basic groups of collagen, and it is possible to hydrolyze the proteoglycans bound to collagen by enzymatic digestion, a method was developed to quantitate the collagen-proteoglycan interaction in tissue sections. The method consists of measuring, with a spectrophotometer, the amount of dye bound to control and papain-digested tissue sections. The difference observed between the results obtained in control and digested sections is considered to be due to the unmasking of basic groups of collagen originally bound to proteoglycans. The initial results show a variability of this interaction in different tissues. They also suggest a reduction of collagen-proteoglycan interaction in atherosclerotic lesions.

Constitutional variations of acidic glycosaminoglycans in normal and arthritic bovine articular cartilage proteoglycans at different ages

Proteoglycans extracted from normal and arthritic bovine articular cartilage of various ages were fractionated and purified under associative and dissociative conditions. After proteolytic digestion, the composition of the acidic glycosaminoglycans (AGAG) in the proteoglycans was determined enzymatically by digestion with chondroitinase-AC II, chondroitinase-ABC, Streptomyces, hyaluronidase and keratanase. Under both associative and dissociative conditions, uniform distribution of chondroitin sulfate (CS) isomers from proteoglycans of different ages was observed: With increasing age, the relative proportion of 4-sulfated disaccharide units in total AGAG decreased, whereas that of 6-sulfated disaccharide units increased. The relative proportion of 4-sulfated disaccharide units in total CS and the ratio of 4-sulfated disaccharide units to 6-sulfated disaccharide units were greater in arthritic cartilages than in normal cartilages of the same ages. At all three ages studied, the relative proportion of 4-sulfated disaccharide units in sequential fractions increased with the decrease of cesium chloride (CsC1) density, as the proportion of 6-sulfated disaccharide units decreased. The relative proportions of hyaluronic acid (HA) and keratan sulfate (KS) increased with age. The AGAG components of cartilage proteoglycans were distributed with a certain regularity in the fractions of CsCl density gradients, but underwent changes with increasing age and in arthritic process.

The occurrence of chondroitin-6-sulphate in adult human compact bone tissue

Compact bone tissue chondroitin sulphate, previously considered to be pure chondroitin-4-sulphate, was isolated from three adult human femoral diaphyses and digested with chondroitinase ABC. Assaying these digests by means of high performance liquid chromatography we could demonstrate that 12 to 14% of the disaccharide residues were 6-sulphated. The 4/6-ratios were also studied in chondroitin sulphate fractions of different molecular size. Slightly increasing amounts of 6-sulphated disaccharides were found with increasing size of the chondroitin sulphates.

Isolation and partial characterization of proteoglycans from sheep lung parenchyma

Greater than 90% of the proteoglycans of sheep lung parenchyma, as measured by uronic acid, were solubilized employing a sequential procedure with guanidine hydrochloride, dithiothreitol and Triton X-100. The amounts solubilized were 68.7%, 16.2% and 5.9%, respectively. The guanidine hydrochloride extract was chromatographed using DEAE-cellulose in urea and eluted with increasing concentrations of NaCl. A major fraction (containing a 6.5-fold enrichment of uronic acid) was obtained with 0.5 M NaCl and further purified by Sepharose Cl-6B chromatography in guanidine hydrochloride. To demonstrate the presence of protein-linked glycosaminoglycans, the void volume peak containing protein and uronic acid was digested with papain and rechromatographed. Evidence for the presence of proteoglycans was obtained by observing an almost complete loss of uronic acid in the void volume and the appearance of a uronic acid peak in the included volume, migrating in the same area as single-chain glycosaminoglycans. Electrophoretic migration and disappearance of bands in electrophoresis after digestion with specific mucopolysaccharide lyases indicated that the small amount of uronic acid remaining in the void volume was hyaluronic acid whereas the included volume contained hyaluronic acid, heparan sulfate, chondroitin sulfates and/or dermatan sulfate.

Glycosulphatase from Pseudomonas carrageenovora. Purification and some properties

A glycosulphatase present in the soluble fraction of disrupted Pseudomonas carrageenovora has been purified 500-fold by gel filtration on Sephacryl S-200 and ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-Sepharose CL-6B. By dodecylsulphate/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis the enzyme is practically homogeneous and has a molecular weight of 55 000. Conditions of optimal sodium chloride concentration and pH at 25 degrees C were 0.25--0.50 mol dm-3 and pH 7.0 respectively. The purified enzyme was inhibited by inorganic phosphate. Preparation is described of neocarrabiose 4-O-[35S]sulphate and neocarratetraose 4-O-[35S]sulphate from labelled Chondrus crispus. The purified glycosulphatase is active against both these substrates although only one of the two sulphate esters in the tetrasaccharide is hydrolysed. Analysis of the reaction products was by gel filtration, electrophoresis and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The results are consistent with the products of desulphation being respectively neocarrabiose and neocarratetraose 4-O-monosulphate with the sulphate ester proximal to the reducing end [3,6-anhydro-alpha-D-galactopyranosyl-(1 leads to 3)-beta-D-galactopyranosyl-(1 leads to 4)-3,6-anhydro-alpha-D-galactopyranosyl-(1 leads to 3)-D-galactose 4-O-sulphate].

The occurrence of uridine diphosphate N-acetylgalactosamine 6-sulfate in quail egg white and characteristic distribution of sulfated sugar nucleotides in different avian eggs

A sulfated sugar nucleotide has been isolated from quail egg white, and accounts for nearly 80% of the total sugar nucleotides found in the egg white. Evidence is presented that this nucleotide is uridine diphosphate N-acetylgalactosamine 6-sulfate, an isomer of the 4-sulfated derivative of uridine diphosphate N-acetylgalactosamine previously found in chicken egg white. Further studies on the distribution of sulfated sugar nucleotides in egg white of various birds (chicken, quail, pheasant, peafowl, turkey, goose, and duck) demonstrate that each species has a characteristic composition, differing from one another regarding the relative amounts of 4-sulfated, 6-sulfated, and 4,6-bissulfated derivatives of uridine diphosphate N-acetylgalactosamine.

Pattern of glycosaminoglycans and glycoproteins associated with nuclei of regenerating liver of rat

1. Hyaluronic acid was detected as the largest glycosaminoglycan component in the glycosaminoglycan fraction from purified nuclei of regenerating livers as in the case of normal livers (Furukawa, K. and Tarayama, H. (1977) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 499, 278--289). However, the nuclear content of glycosaminoglycans tended to decrease after partial hepatectomy, reaching one-third of the normal liver level at 24--30 h after partial hepatectomy. On the other hand, two new polyanionic components were detected in the glycosaminoglycan fraction from regenerating liver nuclei. 2. One of these new components seems to be a sulfated glycopeptide. The 35SO4 incorporation into this component was stimulated biphasically after partial hepatectomy; the first stimulation occurring immediately after partial hepatectomy and the second stimulation occurring almost in parallel to the DNA synthesis. 3. Another polyacnionic component which also increases in the nuclear content after partial hepatectomy lacks hexuronic acid, sialic acid and 35SO4 and yet it is intensely stained by Alcian Blue. Preliminary investigations revealed the presence of hexose, ribose and phosphate as the major components. 4. In contrast to the primary localization of hyaluronic acid in the chromatin fraction and also in the nonhistone chromosomal protein fraction from it, these new polyanionic components were detected mainly in the karyosol fraction.

Chondroitinase-resistant sulfated glycosaminoglycans synthesized by cartilages of chick embryos and of newborn chickens and rats

Biosynthesis of chondroitinase-resistant glycosaminoglycans as minor components was studied in the cartilages of chick embryos and of newborn chickens and rats. Sternal and knee cartilages were labeled in vitro with 35SO42-, and then 35S-labeled glycosaminoglycans were analyzed. In rats up to 2 weeks old, only one glycosaminoglycan could be detected as heparan sulfate. In the chick embryos and the newborn chickens, however, keratan sulfate as well as heparan sulfate could be detected. As chondroitinase-sensitive glycosaminoglycans, large amounts of both chrondroitin 4- and 6-sulfates were synthesized in the chick cartilage, but the synthesis of chondroitin 6-sulfate could scarcely be seen in the rat cartilage. The results seem to indicate that the biosynthesis of keratan sulfate has some relation to that of chondroitin 6-sulfate.

Purification of chondroitinase B and chondroitinase C using glycosaminoglycan-bound AH-Sepharose 4B

Chondroitinase B and chondroitinase C were separated from an extract of Flavobacterium heparinum induced with chondroitin 6-sulfate by using column chromatography on hydroxylapatite. Chondroitinase C was eluted together with the activities of hyaluronidase, delta4,5glycosiduronase, and sulfatase. The latter two activities were eliminated exclusively by passing the crude chondroitinase C fraction through a phosphono-cellulose column pre-equilibrated with 0.07M sodium phosphate buffer (pH 6.8). Chondroitinase C was then purified by affinity chromatography using dermatan sulfate-bound AH-Sepharose 4B coated with the same glycosaminoglycan. Purification of the enzyme was achieved 18-fold and in 73% yield. On the other hand, the activities of delta4,5glycosiduronase and sulfatase were decreased to 50 and 60%, respectively, as compared with those in the crude chondroitinase B fraction, after passing the fraction through a column of phosphono-cellulose pre-equilibrated with 0.1M sodium phosphate buffer (pH 6.8). The remaining activities of these two enzymes were then eliminated from chondroitinase B by affinity chromatography with heparin-bound AH-Sepharose 4B coated with dermatan sulfate. In the affinity chromatography used in the present study, non-covalent coating of the glycosaminoglycan-bound (covalently) AH-Sepharose 4B with the same or another glycosaminoglycan was found to be important.

Identification of glycosaminoglycans in nerve terminals

Synaptosomes were prepared using sucrose and Ficoll density-gradient-centrifugation procedures. Extraction of lipid-free material from both preparations with guanidinium chloride together with papain treatment released hexuronic-containing fractions. The glycosaminoglycan fractions (C1, C2, and C3) were isolated after ion-exchange chromatography. Chemical studies identified fraction C1 as a chondroitin sulphate proteoglycan whereas fractions C2 and C3 were characterised as hyaluronic acid and heparan sulphate. The relative yields of glycosaminoglycans (as compared with brain mitochondria) strongly suggest that these macromolecules form an integral component of nerve endings. The possible role of glycosaminoglycans in synaptosomes is also discussed.

Determination of sulphated disaccharides from chondroitin sulphates by high-performance liquid chromatography

A sensitive method for the determination of chondroitin 4- and 6-sulphate is presented. After chondroitinase digestion of the chondroitin sulphate preparations, the obtained disaccharides are separated on a weak anion-exchange resin in a high-performance liquid chromatography system. The method was used to study 4-sulphate to 6-sulphate ratios in chondroitin sulphates prepared from bovine nasal cartilage and human nucleus pulposus. The results show clearly that these two preparations contain considerable amounts of both isomers.

alpha-L-iduronidase, beta-D-glucuronidase, and 2-sulfo-L-iduronate 2-sulfatase: preparation and characterization of radioactive substrates from heparin

Radioactive disaccharide substrates for alpha-L-iduronidase, beta-D-glucuronidase, and 2-sulfo-L-iduronate 2-sulfatase have been prepared from heparin by deaminative cleavage followed by reduction with NaBT4. Six disaccharides were isolated from this reaction mixture and identified. Acid hydrolysis of the major disaccharide, O-(alpha-L-idopyranosyluronic acid 2-sulfate)-(1 linked to 4)-(2,5-anhydro-D-mannitol-l-t 6-sulfate (IdAs--Ms), produced 48% of O-(alpha-L-idopyranosyluronic acid)-(1 linked to 4)-(2,5-anhydro-D-mannitol-l-t 6-sulfate) (IdA--Ms) and 25% of O-(alpha-L-idopyranosyluronic acid)-(1 linked to 4)-2,5-anhydro-D-mannitol-l-t. The most-sensitive substrate for determining alpha-L-iduronidase activity was IdA--Ms which, when incubated with leucocyte and skin-fibroblast homogenates prepared from patients having a deficiency of alpha-L-iduronidase (Mucopolysaccharidosis Type I; MPS-I), was hydrolysed to yield 2,5-anhydro-D-mannitol-l-t 6-sulfate at a rate 50-times less than that found for normal control-preparations. Similarly, O-(beta-D-glucopyranosyluronic acid)-(1 linked to 4)-(2,5-anhydro-D-mannitol-l-t 6-sulfate) was degraded by whole-cell homogenates prepared from beta-D-glucuronidase-deficient (Mucopolysaccharidosis, Type VII) fibroblasts, to yield 2,5-anhydro-D-mannitol-l-t 5-sulfate at a rate 60-times less that that found for MPS-I and normal control-preparations. IdAs--Ms was degraded by 2-sulfo-L-iduronate 2-sulfatase at a rate more than 45-times greater than that found for O-(alpha-L-idopyranosyluronic acid 2-sulfate)-(1 linked to 4)-2,5-anhydro-D-mannitol-l-t. C-6 Sulfation of the anhydro-D-mannitol-l-t residue is an important structural determinant in the mechanism of action of both alpha-L-iduronidase and 2-sulfo-L-iduronate 2-sulfatase on disaccharide substrates.

The influence of pre- and perinatal malnutrition on sulphated glycosaminoglycans in rat brain

Pre- and perinatal malnutrition of rats was achieved by restricting the intake of food to 50% during lactation and pregnancy. After 40 days offspring were injected with Na2(35)SO4 before being killed. Lipid-free brain material was now hydrolysed with papain and glycosaminoglycan samples chromatographed on DEAE-cellulose. After chemical characterisation studies 2.5 times more chondroitin sulphate was detected in tissue from the ill-fed animals. Little variation in heparan sulphate content was observed. The marked increase in the concentration as well as qualitative changes in sulphated glycosaminoglycans during pre- and perinatal malnutrition as compared to the normal are discussed in relation to brain maturation.

Stimulatory effect of exogenous hyaluronic acid distinguishes cultured fibroblasts of Marfan's disease from controls

Fibroblasts cultured from patients with Marfan's disease show metachromasia with toluidine blue and accumulate increased amounts of glycosaminoglycan (GAG). Compared to fibroblasts from controls, more of the newly synthesized GAG is hyaluronic acid. Cycloheximide has a modest inhibiting effect on GAG accumulation compared to protein inhibition while serum depletion has a greater effect on inhibiting GAG accumulation than on reducing synthesis of new protein. Exogenous hyaluronic acid restores new accumulation of hyaluronic acid in serum depleted Marfan-derived cultures towards baseline while having almost no effect on cultures derived from controls. The effect is specific for hyaluronic acid as chondroitin sulfate or dextran sulfate are not stimulatory and is not due to stimulation of new protein synthesis.

An agarose gel electrophoretic method for analysis of sulfated glycosaminoglycans of cultured cells

Agarose disc gel electrophoresis has been adapted to achieve the separation of the major sulfated glycosaminoglycans produced by cells in culture. By use of buffers containing barium ion, mixtures of chondroitin sulfate, dermatan sulfate, and heparan sulfate are well resolved into discrete bands. The technique can be used preparatively as well as analytically to separate quantities of glycosaminoglycans up to a milligram in a 6-mm diameter gel.

Rapid and sensitive determination of enzymatic degradation products of isomeric chondroitin sulfates by high-performance liquid chromatography

The separation and quantitative analysis of enzymatic degradation products of isomeric chondroitin sulfates by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) are described. The substituted unsaturated disaccharides which result from digestion of chondroitin sulfates with chondroitinase are quickly separated on polar absorbents such as silica gel. The UV absorption properties of these unsaturated disaccharides permit UV measurement with detection limits of approximately 100 ng. Their separation by HPLC facilitates the use of enzymatic methods for the determination of chondroitin sulfates A, B and C. The potential of this method in clinical application is demonstrated by quantitative assays of glycosaminoglycans from a normal urine and urine from a patient with Hunter syndrome. The results are consistent with amount of isomeric chondroitin sulfates found in comparable urines by others.

Studies of glycosaminoglycan composition and biologic activity of Vessel, a hypolipidemic agent

Heparin-like glycosaminoglycans (GAG) were isolated from commerical Vessel and their biologic properties studied. Vessel was found to be a mixture of chondroitin sulfates, dermatan sulfate and heparin-like GAG. Chondroitin sulfates and dermatan sulfate in Vessel were hydrolyzed by chondroitinase ABC and the residual Vessel was fractionated on a Dowex-1 Cl- column eluting with a stepwise-increasing concentration of NaCl (1.2--4.0 M). The major fractions eluted at 1.6 M and 1.8 M NaCl were tentatively identified by chemical analysis as heparin-like GAG with somewhat lower sulfate content than standard heparin. Both fractions had lipoprotein lipase-releasing activity and anticoagulant activity similar to heparin, but 1.6 M NaCl fraction had a third of the anticoagulant activity of standard heparin. The 1.8 M NaCl fraction complexed with serum lipoproteins similarly to heparin. In preliminary studies cholesterol-fed rabbits treated with Vessel exhibited somewhat less atherosclerosis than controls.

The histochemical specificity of Streptomyces hyaluronidase and chondroitinase ABC

Treatment of tissue sections with enzymes wich degrade specific types of glycosaminoglycans should provide a means for localizing glycosaminoglycans in tissue sections. The feasibility of this technique was examined by utilizing endogenously labelled glycosaminoglycans in chick and quail embryos. Less than 8% of the total glycosaminoglycans appear to be lost non-specifically during fixation and dehydration. Both Streptomyces hyaluronidase and chondroitinase ABC degraded more than 90% of their respective substrates and demonstrated minimal non-specific extraction of other glycosaminoglycans. The selectivity of chondroitinase ABC for sulphated glycosaminoglycans was substantially increased by raising the pH of the incubation buffer to 8.6. At this pH, chondroitinase ABC degraded negligible amounts of hyaluronic acid. Use of both Streptomyces hyaluronidase and chondroitinase ABC confirmed that embryonic hyaluronic acid binds Alcian Blue under conditions that were previously believed specific for sulphated glycosaminoglycans. We suggest that this may be due to the increased molecular weight of embryonic hyaluronic acid compared to the hyaluronic acid in adult tissues. The results presented suggest that treatment of adjacent sections with buffer, chondroitinase ABC at pH 8.6, and Streptomyces hyaluronidase and subsequent staining with Alcian Blue provides a method for localizing and quantitating glycosaminoglycans in tissue sections.

Appearance of a proteoglycan in developing sea urchin embryos

It was shown that a proteoglycan is synthesised by embryos of a Japanese sea urchin, Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus. This proteoglycan appears as a single peak on sucrose density gradient ultracentrifugation throughout the development. About half of the mucopolysaccharide moiety in this proteoglycan was found to be dermatan sulphate and the rest to be chondroitinase-resistant mucopolysaccharides. Evidence is presented to show that both types of mucopolysaccharide do not exist in a free form but reside as an integral part of the proteoglycan. The linkage between mucopolysaccharide and protein moieties of the proteoglycan appeared not to be an O-glycosidic bond, which is common among other proteoglycans such as proteochondroitin sulphate and proteodermatan sulphate.

A typical dermatan sulfate isolate from whale intestine

Alkaline extraction of whale intestine, followed by pronase digestion and precipitation of heparin (omega-heparin) with dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride gave a supernatant fraction containing dermatan sulfate. Ethanol at 20% concentration precipitated dermatan sulfate from the supernatant fraction. The crude dermatan sulfate was further fractionated by ion-exchange column chromatography on Dowex-1 (C1- form), eluting stepwise with aqueous sodium chloride. The fractions eluted with 1.5M and 1.75M sodium chloride contained a typical dermatan sulfate. Chemical and enzymic studies of these preparations revealed that the sulfate groups were located solely at O-4 of the 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-galactose resides. L-Iduronic acid was assumed to be distributed uniformly in the backbone of the polysaccharide chain, with D-glucuronic acid being located in the linkage region to the protein core. A new method for determining the ratio of D-glucuronic to L-iduronic acid is also described.