STRUCTURAL-ANALYSIS OF CYCLAMEN SEED XYLOGLUCAN OLIGOSACCHARIDES USING CELLULASE DIGESTION AND SPECTROSCOPIC METHODS

Xyloglucan polymers have been isolated from cyclamen seeds and charact erized by both liquid and CP-MAS C-13 NMR spectroscopy. Treatment of t he polysaccharides with cellulase from Trichoderma viride afforded XG oligomers which have been studied with both mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy. The repeating unit in the intact polymers and the most a bundant hydrolysis product correspond to the Gal(1) Xyl(3) Glc(4) (XXL G) fragment. However, detection of notable amounts of Xyl(3) Glc(4) (X XXG) and Gal(2) Xyl(3) Glc(4) (XLLG) indicates that the galactose dist ribution in xyloglucan from cyclamen is irregular. FAB-MS analysis of a new derivative, prepared by forming the glycosamine of m-tetrafluoro ethoxy aniline, has led to unambiguous sequence information for the XX LG oligomer.