Periodate oxidation of plant polysaccharides provides polysaccharide-specific oligosaccharides.

Although polysaccharides are frequently used in foods, detailed characterization and/or identification of their structures using a single method remains a challenge. We investigated the suitability of periodate oxidation as an approach to depolymerize polysaccharides, allowing characterization and/or identification of the original polysaccharides based on ESI-MS analyses of the released oligosaccharides. Various periodate oxidation conditions were tested on (arabino)xylan, galactomannan, xyloglucan and homogalacturonan. Each polysaccharide required a different oxidation condition to release a substantial level of oligosaccharides. These oligosaccharides had highly complex structures due to the presence of e.g., dialdehyde sugars, hemialdals, and remnants of (oxidized) sugars, as verified by ESI-MS/MS. Despite these oligosaccharides were highly complex and lost some polysaccharide structural features, each periodate-oxidized sample comprised polysaccharide structure-dependent MS oxidized oligosaccharide profiles. Our findings are a good starting point to find a more generic chemical polysaccharide depolymerization approach based on periodate oxidation to identify polysaccharides by oligosaccharides fingerprinting using MS.

Identification of plant polysaccharides by MALDI-TOF MS fingerprinting after periodate oxidation and thermal hydrolysis.

An autoclave treatment at 121 °C on periodate-oxidized plant polysaccharides and mixes thereof was investigated for the release of oligosaccharides to obtain a generic polysaccharide depolymerization method for polysaccharides fingerprinting. Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time-Of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) analysis of the oligosaccharides released showed that each polysaccharide had a unique oligosaccharides profile, even the same type of polysaccharide derived from different sources and/or having different fine structures (e.g. class of (arabino)xylans, galactomannans, glucans, or pectic materials). Various polysaccharide classes present in a polysaccharide mix could be identified based on significantly different (p < 0.05) marker m/z values present in the mass spectrum. Principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis of the obtained MALDI-TOF MS data highlighted the structural heterogeneity of the polysaccharides studied, and clustered polysaccharide samples with resembling oligosaccharide profiles. Our approach represents a step further towards a generic and accessible identification of plant polysaccharides individually or in a mixture.

Partial acid-hydrolysis of TEMPO-oxidized arabinoxylans generates arabinoxylan-structure resembling oligosaccharides.

Arabinoxylans (AXs) display biological activities that depend on their chemical structures. To structurally characterize and distinguish AXs using a non-enzymatic approach, various TEMPO-oxidized AXs were partially acid-hydrolysed to obtain diagnostic oligosaccharides (OS). Arabinurono-xylo-oligomer alditols (AUXOS-A) with degree of polymerization 2-5, comprising one and two arabinuronic acid (AraA) substituents were identified in the UHPLC-PGC-MS profiles of three TEMPO-oxidized AXs, namely wheat (ox-WAX), partially-debranched WAX (ox-pD-WAX), and rye (ox-RAX). Characterization of these AUXOS-A highlighted that single-substitution of the Xyl unit preferably occurs at position O-3 for these samples, and that ox-WAX has both more single substituted and more double-substituted xylose residues in its backbone than the other AXs. Characteristic UHPLC-PGC-MS OS profiles, differing in OS abundance and composition, were obtained for each AX. Thus, partial acid-hydrolysis of TEMPO-oxidized AXs with analysis of the released OS by UHPLC-PGC-MS is a promising novel non-enzymatic approach to distinguish AXs and obtain insights into their structures.

TEMPO/NaClO2/NaOCl oxidation of arabinoxylans.

TEMPO-oxidation of neutral polysaccharides has been used to obtain polyuronides displaying improved functional properties. Although arabinoxylans (AX) from different sources may yield polyuronides with diverse properties due to their variable arabinose (Araf) substitution patterns, information of the TEMPO-oxidation of AX on its structure remains scarce. We oxidized AX using various TEMPO:NaClO2:NaOCl ratios. A TEMPO:NaClO2:NaOCl ratio of 1.0:2.6:0.4 per mol of Ara gave an oxidized-AX with high molecular weight, minimal effect on xylose appearance, and comprising charged side chains. Although NMR analyses unveiled arabinuronic acid (AraAf) as the only oxidation product in the oxidized-AX, accurate AraA quantification is still challenging. Linkage analysis showed that > 75 % of the ß-(1→4)-xylan backbone remained single-substituted at position O-3 of Xyl similarly to native AX. TEMPO-oxidation of AX can be considered a promising approach to obtain arabinuronoxylans with a substitution pattern resembling its parental AX.

Quantification of food polysaccharide mixtures by 1H NMR.

Polysaccharides are food ingredients that critically determine rheological properties and shelf life. A qualitative and quantitative assessment on food-specific polysaccharide mixtures by 1H NMR is presented. The method is based on the identification of intact polysaccharides, combined with a quantitative analysis of their monosaccharide constituents. Identification of the polysaccharides is achieved by 1H NMR line shape fitting with pure compound spectra. The monomeric composition was determined using the Saeman hydrolysis procedure, followed by direct monosaccharide quantification by 1H NMR. In the quantification, both the monosaccharide degradation during hydrolysis, as well as a correction for the non-instantaneous polysaccharide dissolution were taken into account. These factors were particularly important for the quantification of pectins. The method showed overall good repeatability (RSDr=4.1±0.9%) and within-laboratory reproducibility (RSDR=6.1±1.4%) for various food polysaccharides. Polysaccharide mixtures were quantitatively resolved by a non-negative least squares estimation, using identified polysaccharides and their molar monosaccharide stoichiometry as prior knowledge. The accuracy and precision of the presented method make it applicable to a wide range of food polysaccharide mixtures with complex and overlapping 1H NMR spectra.

Strategy to identify and quantify polysaccharide gums in gelled food concentrates.

A strategy for the unambiguous identification and selective quantification of xanthan gum and locust bean gum (LBG) in gelled food concentrates is presented. DNA detection by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) showed to be a fast, sensitive, and selective method that can be used as a first screening tool in intact gelled food concentrates. An efficient isolation procedure is described removing components that may interfere with subsequent analyses. NMR spectroscopy enabled the direct identification of xanthan gum and the discrimination between different galactomannans in the isolated polysaccharide fraction. An enzymatic fingerprinting method using endo-ß-mannanase, in addition to being used to differentiate between galactomannans, was developed into a selective, quantitative method for LBG, whereas monosaccharide analysis was used to quantify xanthan gum. Recoveries for xanthan gum and LBG were 87% and 70%, respectively, with in-between day relative standard deviations below 20% for xanthan gum and below 10% for LBG.

Cross-linking behavior and foaming properties of bovine α-lactalbumin after glycation with various saccharides.

α-Lactalbumin was glycated via the Maillard reaction in the dry state using various mono- and oligosaccharides. The reaction resulted not only in coupling of the saccharides to α-lactalbumin but also in cross-linked proteins. The glycation rate and the extent of cross-link formation were highly dependent on the saccharide used. Glycation by arabinose and xylose led to a very fast protein cross-link formation, whereas glucose showed a relatively low protein cross-linking ability. The stability of foams, created using the various glycated protein samples, depended on the type of saccharide used, the extent of glycation, and possibly the amount of cross-linked protein. Compared to nonmodified α-lactalbumin, glycation with rhamnose and fucose improved foam stability, whereas application of glucose, galacturonic acid, and their oligosaccharides did not exert a clear effect. Mass spectrometric analysis revealed that dehydration of the Amadori products is an indicator of the formation of protein cross-links.

LC/CE-MS tools for the analysis of complex arabino-oligosaccharides.

Recently, various branched arabino-oligosaccharides as present in a sugar beet arabinan digest were characterized using NMR. Although HPAEC often has been the method of choice to monitor the enzymatic degradation reactions of polysaccharides, it was shown that HPAEC was incapable to separate all known linear and branched arabino-oligosaccharides present. As this lack of resolution might result in an incorrect interpretation of the results, other separation techniques were explored for the separation of linear and branched arabino-oligosaccharides. The use of porous-graphitized carbon liquid chromatography with evaporative light scattering and mass detection as well as capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence and mass detection demonstrated the superiority of both the techniques toward HPAEC by enabling the separation and unambiguous identification of almost all the linear and branched arabino-oligosaccharides available. The elution behavior of all arabino-oligosaccharides for the three tested separation techniques was correlated with their chemical structures and conclusions were drawn for the retention mechanisms of the arabino-oligosaccharides on the different chromatographic and electrophoretic systems. The combination of the elution/migration behavior on LC/CE and the MS fragmentation patterns of the arabino-oligosaccharides led to the prediction of structures for new DP6 arabino-oligosaccharides in complex enzyme digests.

Aspergillus nidulans alpha-galactosidase of glycoside hydrolase family 36 catalyses the formation of alpha-galacto-oligosaccharides by transglycosylation.

The alpha-galactosidase from Aspergillus nidulans (AglC) belongs to a phylogenetic cluster containing eukaryotic alpha-galactosidases and alpha-galacto-oligosaccharide synthases of glycoside hydrolase family 36 (GH36). The recombinant AglC, produced in high yield (0.65 g.L(-1) culture) as His-tag fusion in Escherichia coli, catalysed efficient transglycosylation with alpha-(1-->6) regioselectivity from 40 mm 4-nitrophenol alpha-d-galactopyranoside, melibiose or raffinose, resulting in a 37-74% yield of 4-nitrophenol alpha-D-Galp-(1-->6)-D-Galp, alpha-D-Galp-(1-->6)-alpha-D-Galp-(1-->6)-D-Glcp and alpha-D-Galp-(1-->6)-alpha-D-Galp-(1-->6)-D-Glcp-(alpha1-->beta2)-d-Fruf (stachyose), respectively. Furthermore, among 10 monosaccharide acceptor candidates (400 mm) and the donor 4-nitrophenol alpha-D-galactopyranoside (40 mm), alpha-(1-->6) linked galactodisaccharides were also obtained with galactose, glucose and mannose in high yields of 39-58%. AglC did not transglycosylate monosaccharides without the 6-hydroxymethyl group, i.e. xylose, L-arabinose, L-fucose and L-rhamnose, or with axial 3-OH, i.e. gulose, allose, altrose and L-rhamnose. Structural modelling using Thermotoga maritima GH36 alpha-galactosidase as the template and superimposition of melibiose from the complex with human GH27 alpha-galactosidase supported that recognition at subsite +1 in AglC presumably requires a hydrogen bond between 3-OH and Trp358 and a hydrophobic environment around the C-6 hydroxymethyl group. In addition, successful transglycosylation of eight of 10 disaccharides (400 mm), except xylobiose and arabinobiose, indicated broad specificity for interaction with the +2 subsite. AglC thus transferred alpha-galactosyl to 6-OH of the terminal residue in the alpha-linked melibiose, maltose, trehalose, sucrose and turanose in 6-46% yield and the beta-linked lactose, lactulose and cellobiose in 28-38% yield. The product structures were identified using NMR and ESI-MS and five of the 13 identified products were novel, i.e. alpha-D-Galp-(1-->6)-D-Manp; alpha-D-Galp-(1-->6)-beta-D-Glcp-(1-->4)-D-Glcp; alpha-D-Galp-(1-->6)-beta-D-Galp-(1-->4)-D-Fruf; alpha-D-Galp-(1-->6)-D-Glcp-(alpha1-->alpha1)-D-Glcp; and alpha-D-Galp-(1-->6)-alpha-D-Glcp-(1-->3)-D-Fruf.

Efficient chemoenzymatic oligosaccharide synthesis by reverse phosphorolysis using cellobiose phosphorylase and cellodextrin phosphorylase from Clostridium thermocellum.

Inverting cellobiose phosphorylase (CtCBP) and cellodextrin phosphorylase (CtCDP) from Clostridium thermocellum ATCC27405 of glycoside hydrolase family 94 catalysed reverse phosphorolysis to produce cellobiose and cellodextrins in 57% and 48% yield from α-d-glucose 1-phosphate as donor with glucose and cellobiose as acceptor, respectively. Use of α-d-glucosyl 1-fluoride as donor increased product yields to 98% for CtCBP and 68% for CtCDP. CtCBP showed broad acceptor specificity forming ß-glucosyl disaccharides with ß-(1→4)- regioselectivity from five monosaccharides as well as branched ß-glucosyl trisaccharides with ß-(1→4)-regioselectivity from three (1→6)-linked disaccharides. CtCDP showed strict ß-(1→4)-regioselectivity and catalysed linear chain extension of the three ß-linked glucosyl disaccharides, cellobiose, sophorose, and laminaribiose, whereas 12 tested monosaccharides were not acceptors. Structure analysis by NMR and ESI-MS confirmed two ß-glucosyl oligosaccharide product series to represent novel compounds, i.e. ß-D-glucopyranosyl-[(1→4)-ß-D-glucopyranosyl](n)-(1→2)-D-glucopyranose, and ß-D-glucopyranosyl-[(1→4)-ß-D-glucopyranosyl](n)-(1→3)-D-glucopyranose (n = 1-7). Multiple sequence alignment together with a modelled CtCBP structure, obtained using the crystal structure of Cellvibrio gilvus CBP in complex with glucose as a template, indicated differences in the subsite +1 region that elicit the distinct acceptor specificities of CtCBP and CtCDP. Thus Glu636 of CtCBP recognized the C1 hydroxyl of ß-glucose at subsite +1, while in CtCDP the presence of Ala800 conferred more space, which allowed accommodation of C1 substituted disaccharide acceptors at the corresponding subsites +1 and +2. Furthermore, CtCBP has a short Glu496-Thr500 loop that permitted the C6 hydroxyl of glucose at subsite +1 to be exposed to solvent, whereas the corresponding longer loop Thr637-Lys648 in CtCDP blocks binding of C6-linked disaccharides as acceptors at subsite +1. High yields in chemoenzymatic synthesis, a novel regioselectivity, and novel oligosaccharides including products of CtCDP catalysed oligosaccharide oligomerisation using α-d-glucosyl 1-fluoride, all together contribute to the formation of an excellent basis for rational engineering of CBP and CDP to produce desired oligosaccharides.

Rational engineering of Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM maltose phosphorylase into either trehalose or kojibiose dual specificity phosphorylase.

Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM maltose phosphorylase (LaMP) of the (alpha/alpha)(6)-barrel glycoside hydrolase family 65 (GH65) catalyses both phosphorolysis of maltose and formation of maltose by reverse phosphorolysis with beta-glucose 1-phosphate and glucose as donor and acceptor, respectively. LaMP has about 35 and 26% amino acid sequence identity with GH65 trehalose phosphorylase (TP) and kojibiose phosphorylase (KP) from Thermoanaerobacter brockii ATCC35047. The structure of L. brevis MP and multiple sequence alignment identified (alpha/alpha)(6)-barrel loop 3 that forms the rim of the active site pocket as a target for specificity engineering since it contains distinct sequences for different GH65 disaccharide phosphorylases. Substitution of LaMP His413-Glu421, His413-Ile418 and His413-Glu415 from loop 3, that include His413 and Glu415 presumably recognising the alpha-anomeric O-1 group of the glucose moiety at subsite +1, by corresponding segments from Ser426-Ala431 in TP and Thr419-Phe427 in KP, thus conferred LaMP with phosphorolytic activity towards trehalose and kojibiose, respectively. Two different loop 3 LaMP variants catalysed the formation of trehalose and kojibiose in yields superior of maltose by reverse phosphorolysis with (alpha1, alpha1)- and alpha-(1,2)-regioselectivity, respectively, as analysed by nuclear magnetic resonance. The loop 3 in GH65 disaccharide phosphorylase is thus a key determinant for specificity both in phosphorolysis and in regiospecific reverse phosphorolysis.

Branched arabino-oligosaccharides isolated from sugar beet arabinan.

Sugar beet arabinan consists of an alpha-(1,5)-linked backbone of L-arabinosyl residues, which can be either single or double substituted with alpha-(1,2)- and/or alpha-(1,3)-linked L-arabinosyl residues. Neutral branched arabino-oligosaccharides were isolated from sugar beet arabinan by enzymatic degradation with mixtures of pure and well-defined arabinohydrolases from Chrysosporium lucknowense followed by fractionation based on size and analysis by MALDI-TOF MS and HPAEC. Using NMR analysis, two main series of branched arabino-oligosaccharides have been identified, both having an alpha-(1,5)-linked backbone of L-arabinosyl residues. One series carries single substituted alpha-(1,3)-linked L-arabinosyl residues at the backbone, whereas the other series consists of a double substituted alpha-(1,2,3,5)-linked arabinan structure within the molecule. The structures of eight such branched arabino-oligosaccharides were established.

MALDI-TOF MS and CE-LIF Fingerprinting of plant cell wall polysaccharide digests as a screening tool for arabidopsis cell wall mutants.

Cell wall materials derived from leaves and hypocotyls of Arabidopsis mutant and wild type plants have been incubated with a mixture of pure and well-defined pectinases, hemicellulases, and cellulases. The resulting oligosaccharides have been subjected to MALDI-TOF MS and CE-LIF analysis. MALDI-TOF MS analysis provided a fast overview of all oligosaccharides released, whereas CE-LIF-measurements enabled separation and characterization of many oligosaccharides under investigation. Both methods have been validated with leaf material of known mutant Arabidopsis plants and were shown to be able to discriminate mutant from wild type plants. Downscaling of the MALDI-TOF MS and CE-LIF approaches toward the hypocotyl level was established, and the performance of MALDI-TOF MS and CE-LIF was shown in the successful recognition of the Arabidopsis mutant gaut13 as an interesting candidate for further analysis.

The maltodextrin transport system and metabolism in Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM and production of novel alpha-glucosides through reverse phosphorolysis by maltose phosphorylase.

A gene cluster involved in maltodextrin transport and metabolism was identified in the genome of Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM, which encoded a maltodextrin-binding protein, three maltodextrin ATP-binding cassette transporters and five glycosidases, all under the control of a transcriptional regulator of the LacI-GalR family. Enzymatic properties are described for recombinant maltose phosphorylase (MalP) of glycoside hydrolase family 65 (GH65), which is encoded by malP (GenBank: AAV43670.1) of this gene cluster and produced in Escherichia coli. MalP catalyses phosphorolysis of maltose with inversion of the anomeric configuration releasing beta-glucose 1-phosphate (beta-Glc 1-P) and glucose. The broad specificity of the aglycone binding site was demonstrated by products formed in reverse phosphorolysis using various carbohydrate acceptor substrates and beta-Glc 1-P as the donor. MalP showed strong preference for monosaccharide acceptors with equatorial 3-OH and 4-OH, such as glucose and mannose, and also reacted with 2-deoxy glucosamine and 2-deoxy N-acetyl glucosamine. By contrast, none of the tested di- and trisaccharides served as acceptors. Disaccharide yields obtained from 50 mmbeta-Glc 1-P and 50 mm glucose, glucosamine, N-acetyl glucosamine, mannose, xylose or l-fucose were 99, 80, 53, 93, 81 and 13%, respectively. Product structures were determined by NMR and ESI-MS to be alpha-Glcp-(1-->4)-Glcp (maltose), alpha-Glcp-(1-->4)-GlcNp (maltosamine), alpha-Glcp-(1-->4)-GlcNAcp (N-acetyl maltosamine), alpha-Glcp-(1-->4)-Manp, alpha-Glcp-(1-->4)-Xylp and alpha-Glcp-(1-->4)- L-Fucp, the three latter being novel compounds. Modelling using L. brevis GH65 as the template and superimposition of acarbose from a complex with Thermoanaerobacterium thermosaccharolyticum GH15 glucoamylase suggested that loop 3 of MalP involved in substrate recognition blocked the binding of candidate acceptors larger than monosaccharides.