Mass spectrometric method for determining the uronic acid epimerization in heparan sulfate disaccharides generated using nitrous acid.

ABSTRACT: Heparan sulfate (HS) glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) regulate a host of biological functions. To better understand their biological roles, it is necessary to gain understanding about the structure of HS, which requires identification of the sulfation pattern as well as the uronic acid epimerization. In order to model HS structure, it is necessary to quantitatively profile depolymerization products. To date, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) methods for profiling heparin lyase decomposition products have been shown. These enzymes, however, destroy information about uronic acid epimerization. Deaminative cleavage using nitrous acid (HONO) is a classic method for GAG depolymerization that retains uronic acid epimerization. Several chromatographic methods have been used for analysis of

SUBMITTER: Gill VL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3437266 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature