Structure elucidation of glycoprotein glycans and of polysaccharides by NMR spectroscopy

The applicability of H-1-NMR spectroscopy for the determination of the prim ary and tertiary structure of carbohydrate-containing molecules is demonstr ated. For classes of known compounds the characterization can be based on c hemical shifts observed in 1D NMR spectra with or without the aid of a comp uter database. For more complex structure determinations 2D NMR techniques are required. Here the application of 2D NMR is demonstrated for the primar y structure determination of two bacterial exopolysaccharides, for the spat ial structure determination of a disaccharide and a glycoprotein hormone. ( C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.