Structural studies on the hexasaccharide alditols isolated from the carbohydrate-protein linkage region of dermatan sulfate proteoglycans of bovine aorta. Demonstration of iduronic acid-containing components.

Five major hexasaccharide alditols were isolated from the carbohydrate-protein linkage region of bovine aorta dermatan sulfate peptidoglycans after reductive beta-elimination and subsequent chondroitinase ABC digestion. These molecules account for at least 55.3% of the total linkage region. Their structures were analyzed by enzymatic digestion in conjunction with high performance liquid chromatography, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, and 500-MHz one- and two-dimensional 1H NMR spectroscopy. Three of these compounds have the conventional hexasaccharide core; delta HexA alpha 1-3Gal-NAc beta 1-4GlcA beta 1-3Gal beta 1-3Gal beta 1-4Xyl-ol. One is nonsulfated, and the other two are monosulfated on C6 or C4 of the GalNAc residue. They represent at least 6.3, 5.2, and 28.8% of the total linkage region, respectively. The other two compounds have the following hitherto unreported hexasaccharide core with an internal iduronic acid residue in common; delta HexA alpha 1-3GalNAc beta 1-4IdoA alpha 1-3Gal beta 1-3Gal beta 1-4Xyl-ol. One is monosulfated on C4 of the GalNAc, and the other is disulfated on C4 of the GalNAc and of the galactose residue substituted by the iduronic acid residue. These two compounds account for 35% of the five isolated hexasaccharide alditols and at least 4.3 and 10.7% of the total linkage region, respectively. The latter two structures form a striking contrast to the currently accepted conception that heparin, heparan sulfate, and chondroitin/dermatan sulfate share the common linkage tetrasaccharide core GlcA beta 1-3Gal beta 1-3Gal beta 1-4Xyl. The biological significance of the isolated structures is discussed in relation to the biological functions and the biosynthetic mechanisms of dermatan sulfate.