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Polysaccharide elasticity governed by chair-boat transitions of the glucopyranose ring.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Marszalek, PE; Oberhauser, AF; Pang, YP; Fernandez, JM
Published in: Nature
December 1998

Many common, biologically important polysaccharides contain pyranose rings made of five carbon atoms and one oxygen atom. They occur in a variety of cellular structures, where they are often subjected to considerable tensile stress. The polysaccharides are thought to respond to this stress by elastic deformation, but the underlying molecular rearrangements allowing such a response remain poorly understood. It is typically assumed, however, that the pyranose ring structure is inelastic and locked into a chair-like conformation. Here we describe single-molecule force measurements on individual polysaccharides that identify the pyranose rings as the structural unit controlling the molecule's elasticity. In particular, we find that the enthalpic component of the polymer elasticity of amylose, dextran and pullulan is eliminated once their pyranose rings are cleaved. We interpret these observations as indicating that the elasticity of the three polysaccharides results from a force-induced elongation of the ring structure and a final transition from a chair-like to a boat-like conformation. We expect that the force-induced deformation of pyranose rings reported here plays an important role in accommodating mechanical stresses and modulating ligand binding in biological systems.

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Published In

Nature

DOI

EISSN

1476-4687

ISSN

0028-0836

Publication Date

December 1998

Volume

396

Issue

6712

Start / End Page

661 / 664

Related Subject Headings

  • Polysaccharides
  • Oxidation-Reduction
  • Microscopy, Atomic Force
  • Glucose
  • Glucans
  • General Science & Technology
  • Elasticity
  • Dextrans
  • Amylose
 

Citation

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Marszalek, P. E., Oberhauser, A. F., Pang, Y. P., & Fernandez, J. M. (1998). Polysaccharide elasticity governed by chair-boat transitions of the glucopyranose ring. Nature, 396(6712), 661–664. https://doi.org/10.1038/25322
Marszalek, P. E., A. F. Oberhauser, Y. P. Pang, and J. M. Fernandez. “Polysaccharide elasticity governed by chair-boat transitions of the glucopyranose ring.Nature 396, no. 6712 (December 1998): 661–64. https://doi.org/10.1038/25322.
Marszalek PE, Oberhauser AF, Pang YP, Fernandez JM. Polysaccharide elasticity governed by chair-boat transitions of the glucopyranose ring. Nature. 1998 Dec;396(6712):661–4.
Marszalek, P. E., et al. “Polysaccharide elasticity governed by chair-boat transitions of the glucopyranose ring.Nature, vol. 396, no. 6712, Dec. 1998, pp. 661–64. Epmc, doi:10.1038/25322.
Marszalek PE, Oberhauser AF, Pang YP, Fernandez JM. Polysaccharide elasticity governed by chair-boat transitions of the glucopyranose ring. Nature. 1998 Dec;396(6712):661–664.
Journal cover image

Published In

Nature

DOI

EISSN

1476-4687

ISSN

0028-0836

Publication Date

December 1998

Volume

396

Issue

6712

Start / End Page

661 / 664

Related Subject Headings

  • Polysaccharides
  • Oxidation-Reduction
  • Microscopy, Atomic Force
  • Glucose
  • Glucans
  • General Science & Technology
  • Elasticity
  • Dextrans
  • Amylose