Publication Date:
2012-07-28
Description:
Sulfamate groups (NHSO 3 – ) are important structural elements in the glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) heparin and heparan sulfate (HS). In this work, proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) line-shape analysis is used to explore the solvent exchange properties of the sulfamate NH groups within heparin-related mono-, di-, tetra- and pentasaccharides as a function of pH and temperature. The results of these experiments identified a persistent hydrogen bond within the Arixtra (fondaparinux sodium) pentasaccharide between the internal glucosamine sulfamate NH and the adjacent 3- O -sulfo group. This discovery provides new insights into the solution structure of the Arixtra pentasaccharide and suggests that 3- O -sulfation of the heparin N -sulfoglucosamine (GlcNS) residues pre-organize the secondary structure in a way that facilitates binding to antithrombin-III. NMR studies of the GlcNS NH groups can provide important information about heparin structure complementary to that available from NMR spectral analysis of the carbon-bound protons.
Print ISSN:
0959-6658
Electronic ISSN:
1460-2423
Topics:
Biology
,
Medicine
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