Croatica Chemica Acta, Vol. 69 No. 2, 1996.
Original scientific paper
Bacterial Carbohydrate Antigens: From Primary Structure to Non-covalent Interactions
Jasna Peter-Katalinić
; Physiologisch-Chemisches Institut der Rheinischen Friedrich-Wilhlem-Universitat Bonn, Nujlallee 11, D-53115 Bonn, Germany
Abstract
Two structural aspects of bacterial antigens studied by mass spectrometry are presented in this contribution: identification of unusual modifications in the carbohydrate chains in the case of lipo- teichoic acid from Streptococcus pneumoniae and determination of non-covalent carbohydrate/protein complexes of Salmonella oligosaccharide antigen with natural and/or recombinant antibody proteins. The ability of mass spectrometric strategies for detailed analysis of the diversity of carbohydrate chain structures in the living nature is demonstrated here by three modern desorption techniques, fast atom bombardment, matrix-assisted laser desorption and electrospray, offering the possibility for sequencing and for detection of molecular mass of intact large molecules and their non- covalent complexes at high sensitivity. The general understanding of carbohydrate recognition in biological systems at the molecular level in sense of the Emil Fischer's Schloss/Schlüssel principle is the ultimate goal of this strategy.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
136682
URI
Publication date:
3.6.1996.
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