Abstract
The fine molecular structure of a novel alkali-soluble polysaccharide (SCA-I) from the mushroom sclerotial cell wall of Pleurotus tuber-regium was elucidated by 1-D and 2-D NMR spectroscopy as a hyper-branched glucan having a 64.9% degree of branching at O-6 and consisting a main chain with →1)-Glcp-(4→ linkages and short side chains having either →1)-Glcp-(3→ or →1)-Glcp-(6→ linkages. This partial structure of SCA-I was consistent with that obtained from methylation analysis. The molecular conformation of SDS-treated SCA-I was visualized for the first time by TEM and AFM. Microscopic images confirmed the highly branched structure of SCA-I as well as its multiple chain conformation when its compact structure was opened up by SDS treatment. This unique hyper-branched polysaccharide has the potential application in the design of carbohydrate-based nano-particles and drug delivery systems.
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