Carbon-13 magnetic relaxation and local chain motion of amylose in dimethyl sulfoxide

Free Energy Surfaces for the α(1 → 4)-Glycosidic Linkage: Implications for Polysaccharide Solution Structure and Dynamics

We present a potential of mean force surface for rotation about phi and psi dihedral angles of the alpha(1 --> 4)-glycosidic linkage in the maltose disaccharide (4-O-alpha-d-glucopyranosyl-d-glucopyranose) in aqueous solution. Comparison of the vacuum and solution free energy surfaces for maltose shows the principal effects of water to be an increase in the rotational freedom of the alpha(1 --> 4) linkage brought about by lowering the energy barrier for syn to anti conformational changes as well as expansion of the range of low-energy phi,psi conformations. This free energy analysis thus provides a thermodynamic and conformational rationale for the effects of water on alpha(1 --> 4)-linked polysaccharides and carbohydrate glasses.

(13)C nuclear magnetic relaxation study of segmental dynamics of the heteropolysaccharide pullulan in dilute solutions

(13)C spin-lattice relaxation times (T(1)) and nuclear Overhauser enhancements (NOE) were measured as a function of temperature and magnetic field strength for the heteropolysaccharide pullulan in two solvents, water and dimethyl sulfoxide. The relaxation data of the endocyclic ring carbons were successfully interpreted in terms of chain segmental motions by using the bimodal time-correlation function of Dejean de la Batie, Laupretre, and Monnerie. On the basis of the calculated correlation times for segmental motion, the flexibilities of the pullulan chain at a repeat-unit level have been studied and compared with the segmental mobility of the homopolysaccharides amylose and dextran in the same solvents. The internal rotation of the free hydroxymethyl groups about the exocyclic C-5 [bond] C-6 bonds superimposed on segmental motion has been described as a diffusion process of restricted amplitude. The rate and amplitude of the internal rotation of the free hydroxymethyl groups were not affected by the local geometry of the pullulan chain.

1H NMR spectroscopy study of the dynamic properties of glycogen in solution by steady-state magnetisation measurement with off-resonance irradiation

The dynamics of size-selected fractions of glycogen in solution have been investigated by proton NMR spectroscopy, using a recently described relaxation study method which relies on strong offresonance irradiation. The dependence of the steady-state magnetisation on angle and intensity of the effective radio-frequency field was measured and compared to theoretical curves derived from different models of motion. Absence or presence of contributions to relaxation from molecular motions on the microsecond time scale can be tested with this method, without having to resort to models. We found that glycogen dipolar relaxation did not result from isotropic Brownian rotation, and despite some contribution from slow motion (> 1 microsecond) to relaxation in glycogen alpha-particles extracted from rat liver, bulk movement of the molecules did not appear to participate in averaging the dipolar term to zero. Whereas hepatic glycogen rat beta-particles and commercial oyster glycogen displayed very similar relaxation properties, alpha-particles showed significantly different behaviour. However, all results were compatible with a diversity of movements within the molecule, ranging from freely rotating pyranoside rings through collective chain motion and possibly to bulk movement of the beta sub-units within the alpha-particle.

The dependence of glucan conformational dynamics on linkage position and stereochemistry

The 13C NMR T1 relaxation times for the (1-->4)-linked maltooligomers (Mi) and the (1-->6)-linked isomaltooligomers (IMi) with i = 2, 4, 6, and 8 were measured in aqueous solution at 22 and 65 degrees C at a concentration (3%) low enough to have removed concentration-dependent effects on the measured T1 values. Separate T1 values were measured for each carbon in the residue at the reducing end of the oligosaccharide, in the residue at the non-reducing end, and in the interior, i.e., non-terminal, residue(s). Analogous data for the corresponding high polymers show that at 22 degrees C the relaxation times for the carbons of the interior residues of the oligomers have converged to their high chain length asymptotes at about i = 10. This observation suggests that at room temperature polymeric motions in the frequency domain effective for 13C NMR relaxation at a magnetic field strength of 11.7 T have a "wavelength" of the order of 10 residues. The relaxation times characterizing the two ends of the chain are different, with longer T1 values for the carbons of the reducing end than for those of the non-reducing end. Carbons of alpha-anomeric residues at the reducing end have shorter relaxation times than those of the corresponding beta-anomeric reducing sugars. Carbons of the interior residues have T1 values shorter than the carbons of either type of terminal residue. For oligomers of a given dp there is no T1 difference between oligomers of the Mi and IMi series at room temperature. This observation is seemingly at odds with the great differences in the inherent conformational freedom of the (1-->4)- and (1-->6)-linkages. At elevated temperatures the orientational relaxation behavior of the two series of oligomers measured by 13C T1 values show interesting differences, and in the case of the Mi series, structure develops in the chain length dependence of the T1 values.

Conformational analysis of heparin epoxide in aqueous solution. An NMR relaxation study

1H and 13C NMR relaxation measurements at various magnetic fields have been used to characterize the nature of overall and internal motions in heparin epoxide in aqueous solution. A two-dimensional homonuclear NOESY experiment showed a considerable number of cross-relaxing protons in the molecule. The inter-proton distances calculated from NOE data were compared with those obtained by molecular mechanics calculations. Several discrepancies between the experimental and the theoretical inter-proton distances as well as the variations in 13C spin-lattice relaxation times, measured at two magnetic fields, indicated that the polysaccharide tumbles anisotropically in solution. The rates of overall and internal motions as well as the order parameters have been calculated using a model-free spectral density function. The numerical values indicate that the correlation times which characterize overall molecular motion are outside the extreme narrowing limit (tau parallel = 8 x 10(-10) s and tau perpendicular = 4.2 x 10(-8) s) and that internal motion correlation time is on a picosecond timescale.

Comparison of the conformational dynamics of the (1----4)- and (1----6)-linked alpha-D-glucans using 13C-NMR relaxation

The conformational dynamics of alpha-(1----4)- and alpha-(1----6)-glucan homooligomers in the nanosecond time domain have been compared by measuring the 13C-nmr longitudinal relaxation times T1 for carbons of the terminal and interior sugar residues. Measurements are reported on monomeric glucose and on oligomers containing up to ten glucose residues at room temperature in aqueous solution at concentrations of 3 and 20 g/dL. The carbons of terminal residues display longer relaxation times than do those of interior residues, presumably as a consequence of a greater degree of conformational mobility of the chain ends. The T1s of the reducing terminal residues of all oligomers are significantly longer than those of the corresponding nonreducing termini, a phenomenon that we associate tentatively with the anomeric equilibrium at the reducing end. Carbons of the reducing terminal residues in the beta-anomeric form relax more slowly than their alpha-anomeric counterparts. At 20 g/dL the mean T1s for carbons of the terminal and interior residues attain asymptotic behavior with increasing chain length at a chain length of about six residues, and carbons of the alpha-(1----4)-linked maltooligomers relax significantly more slowly than those of the corresponding alpha-(1----6)-linked isomaltooligomers. The T1s of both glucan series increase with decreasing concentration. This concentration dependence disappears below 3 g/dL, where the T1s of the two series of homoligomers are no longer distinguishable. This suggests that in dilute aqueous solution at room temperature viscous damping effects predominate over contributions to the T1-sensitive conformational dynamics from structural differences in the glycosidic linkage region. At 3 g/dL the approach to long chain-length asymptotic behavior is more protracted than at 20 g/dL, and the T1s of carbons of interior oligomeric residues appear to match the corresponding high-polymer behavior at a chain length of eight and greater.

Synthesis of a tri- and a tetra-saccharide fragment of the capsular polysaccharide of type III group B Streptococcus

Syntheses of the propyl glycosides (1-3) of beta-D-Galp-(1----4)-beta-D-GlcpNAc, beta-D-Glcp-(1----6)-[beta-D-Galp-(1----4)]-beta-D-GlcpNAc, and beta-D-Galp-(1----4)-beta-D-Glcp-(1----6)-[beta-D-Galp-(1----)]-beta-D- GlcpNAc, respectively, are reported. Reaction of allyl 2-acetamido-3-O-benzyl-2-deoxy-6-O-(4-methoxybenzyl)-beta-D-glucopyranos ide with 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-alpha-D-galactopyranosyl bromide under Hg(CN)2 catalysis, followed by oxidative removal of the 4-methoxybenzyl group, gave allyl 2-acetamido-3-O-benzyl-2-deoxy-4-O-(2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-beta-D- galactopyranosyl)-beta-D-glucopyranoside (10) O-deacetylation of which, followed by hydrogenolysis/hydrogenation, gave 1. Reaction of 10 with beta-D-glucopyranose penta-acetate and beta-lactose octa-acetate, under catalysis by trimethylsilyl trifluoromethanesulfonate, and treatment of the products as for 10 gave 2 and 3, respectively. Attempted glycosylation of 10 with 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-beta-D-glucopyranosyl bromide under catalysis by Hg(CN)2 or silver trifluoromethanesulfonate gave an orthoester. Complete assignments of the 1H- and 13C-n.m.r. spectra of 1-3 are reported together with their carbon spin-lattice relaxation times which indicate that 3 assumes a compact instead of an extended shape.