1. A polysaccharide sulphate has been isolated from the hypobranchial mucin of the whelk Buccinum undatum. 2. The molecular weight of this polysaccharide, which is a glucan carrying one ester sulphate group per monosaccharide residue, is 1.7x10(5). 3. Some investigations bearing on the location of the ester sulphate groups are reported. 4. The viscosity of the whole mucin has been shown to depe...

UDP-glucose:(1,3)-beta-glucan synthase from Beta vulgaris L. was rapidly inactivated by treatment with phospholipases C, D, and A(2). Enzyme activity could not be restored to the phospholipase-treated enzyme by the addition of phosphatidylethanolamine or other phospholipids. Membrane-bound and solubilized glucan synthase were also trypsin-labile with inactivation rates equal in the presence or ...

Kibite and Edney, 1998; Cervantes-Martinez et al., 2001). Cervantes-Martinez et al. (2001) conducted one cycle Oat (Avena sativa L.) -glucan lowers serum cholesterol in huof phenotypic selection of individual S0 plants for greater mans. Thus, enhancing its content in oat cultivars for human consumption is desirable. Phenotypic selection for greater -glucan content -glucan content in two genetic...

β-glucans produced by eukaryotic cells and by microorganisms are known to modulate immune responses by affecting macrophage activation. Here, we have investigated the effect of purified 2-substituted (1-3)-β-D-glucan, produced by either Pediococcus parvulus 2.6 or Lactococcus lactis NZ9000[pNGTF], on the effector functions of human PMA-differentiated THP-1 cells and M1 pro-inflammatory monocyte...

Using a silver-enhanced, gold-secondary antibody immuno-location approach, we investigated the mechan­ isms for the switch from {3-l,4to {3-l,3-glucan biosynthesis upon wounding. Antibodies against {3-l,4and {3-l ,3-glucan synthases were used to locate these synthascs before and after wounding of Mung bean (Vigna radiata val' Berken) hypocotyls. Within 5 min of wounding, {3-l,4-glucan synthases...

α-Glucan affects fungal cell-cell interactions and is important for the virulence of pathogenic fungi. Interfering with production of α-glucan could help to prevent fungal infection. In our previous study, we reported that an amylase-like protein, AmyD, could repress α-glucan accumulation in Aspergillus nidulans. However, the underlying molecular mechanism was not clear. Here, we examined the l...

β-1,3-Glucan and chitin are the most prominent polysaccharides of the fungal cell wall. Covalently linked, these polymers form a scaffold that determines the form and properties of vegetative and pathogenic hyphae. While the role of chitin in plant infection is well understood, the role of β-1,3-glucan is unknown. We functionally characterized the β-1,3-glucan synthase gene GLS1 of the maize (Z...

Glucan phosphate has been shown to enhance antimicrobial immunity in a variety of experimental models. However, the mechanisms by which glucans enhance resistance to infection remain largely unknown. Interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) is a key regulator of both innate and acquired immunity. Suppression of IFN-gamma production is a prominent feature of the altered immune response that follows major tr...