Linkage of carbohydrate to hydroxyamino acids in mucopolysaccharides and mucoproteins.

1. Glycosidic linkage of carbohydrate to the primary hydroxyl groups of threonine and serine has been established in human blood-group A and Le(a) substances, bovine submaxillary-gland mucin and human pseudomyxomatous mucin. 2. Treatment of these substances in 0.09n-lithium hydroxide at 100 degrees for 1hr. led to beta-elimination at these glycosidic linkages with the resultant formation of alpha-oxobutyric acid and glycine from threonine linkages, and pyruvic acid from serine linkages. Though most of the threonine was destroyed in every case, about one-third to one-half of the serine residues resisted alkaline cleavage. Such results, indicative of the presence of unbound serine residues, allow, in submaxillary mucin, for a close correlation between the remaining serine, threonine, glutamic acid and aspartic acid and the available sialyl-(2-->6)-N-acetylgalactosamine prosthetic groups. 3. The stoichiometry of the beta-eliminations has been demonstrated for pseudomyxomatous mucin. The alpha-oxo acids were separated and determined as their quinoxalinol derivatives by thin-layer chromatography on silica gel. Reaction at the threonine centres favoured alpha-oxobutyric acid formation (70%, via the intermediary dehydropeptide) over the alternative pathway to glycine (30%). 4. 100% of the hexosamine was destroyed in submaxillary-gland mucin, 85% in pseudomyxomatous mucin and about 60% in the blood-group substances. In the latter cases, the glucosamine/galactosamine ratio was increased from about 4:1 to 8-10:1, suggesting a preferential destruction of galactosamine. Evidence was obtained, however, for a further destruction of hexosamine, in addition to that which could be theoretically attached to peptide at possible known binding sites. 5. The major part of the alkali-resistant hexosamine in the blood-group substances was non-diffusible and was accompanied by the constituent carbohydrates in similar molar proportions to the native materials.