Abstract
Efforts in both structural and biological studies of sulfated polysaccharides from marine organisms have increased significantly over the last 10 years. Marine invertebrates have been demonstrated to be a source of glycans with particularly well-defined chemical structures, although ordered structural patterns can also be found occasionally in algal sources such as red seaweeds. Clear and regular structural features are essential for a good understanding of the biological activities of these marine homopolysaccharides of which sulfated fucans and sulfated galactans are the most studied. Herein, the main structural features (sugar type, sulfation and glycosylation sites, and orientational binding preferences) of both sulfated fucans and galactans are individually reviewed with regard to their specific contributions to two frequently described biological functions: the acrosome reaction (a physiological event of sea-urchin fertilization), and the anticoagulant and antithrombotic activities (an alternative and highly desirable pharmacological application). (c) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 91: 601-609, 2009.This article was originally published online as an accepted preprint. The "Published Online" date corresponds to the preprint version. You can request a copy of the preprint by emailing the Biopolymers editorial office at biopolymers@wiley.com.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.