COMPARISON OF THE UNIT-CHAIN DISTRIBUTIONS OF GLYCOGENS FROM DIFFERENT BIOLOGICAL SOURCES, REVEALED BY ANION-EXCHANGE CHROMATOGRAPHY

The precise distributions of alpha-1,4-unit-chains of several kinds of glycogens, average chain length 7-13, from different sources, eg., ma mmals, shellfish, mushrooms, and microorganisms, were compared using h igh performance anion exchange chromatography (HPAEC). These glycogens were completely debranched, and a series of maltosaccharides derived from individual unit-chains were analyzed. Most glycogens had similar chromatographic profiles, with degrees of polymerization (DPs), from 4 -5 to 35; oyster glycogen contained shorter chains of DP 2-3. On the o ther hand, molar-based distribution patterns of these glycogens appear ed to be specific to their origins. Ratios of their A- to B-chains var ied from 0.6: 1 to 1.2: 1, as estimated by quantitative HPAEC of malto saccharides by debranching of the beta-limit dextrins. Possible chain lengths of the exterior A-chains were also discussed.