Computer-assisted structural analysis of polysaccharides with an extended version of CASPER using 1H- and 13C-n.m.r. data.

The computer program CASPER, used in the structural analysis of polysaccharides composed of repeating units, has been extended. The extended version uses either unassigned 1H- or 13C-n.m.r. chemical shifts or the complete unassigned C,H-correlation spectrum, and can predict the structure of linear and branched oligo- and poly-saccharides. The number of possible structures, consistent with sugar and methylation analysis, can be decreased by the use of 1JC,H and 3JH,H values. The database, which contains 1H- or 13C-n.m.r. chemical shift data for monosaccharides and 1H- or 13C-glycosylation shifts for all types of glycosidic linkages obtained by combination of the monosaccharides, has been increased and now also contains correction values for sugar residues present in branch-point regions. The program has been tested on four polysaccharides of known structure but with different degrees of complexity. For three polysaccharides, the correct structure was suggested; for the fourth, two structures were consistent with the n.m.r. data, one of them being correct.