College of Food Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China.
College of Food Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China.
Carbohydr Polym. 2018 Apr 15;186:439-444. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2018.01.041. Epub 2018 Jan 16.
Fucosylated chondroitin sulfate (fCS) is the major carbohydrate constituent of sea cucumber. However, the distribution of fCS in the sea cucumber body wall has not been fully described. We addressed this in the present study employing Apostichopus japonicus as the material, a sea cucumber species with significant commercial importance. It was found that fCS was covalently attached to collagen fibrils via O-glycosidic linkages. Transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed that fCS precipitate was present in gap regions of collagen fibrils as roughly globular or ellipsoidal dots. The fCS dots arranged circumferentially around the fibrils with an axial repeat period that matched the periodicity of the fibrils. Physicochemical analysis indicated that the presence of fCS significantly increased the negative charge of the fibrils. These findings provide novel insight into fCS distribution in the sea cucumber body wall and its supramolecular organization with other macromolecules.
岩藻糖基硫酸软骨素（fCS）是海参的主要碳水化合物组成部分。然而，fCS 在海参体壁中的分布尚未得到充分描述。本研究以具有重要商业价值的海参物种——日本刺参为材料，对其进行了研究。结果发现，fCS 通过 O-糖苷键与胶原蛋白纤维共价结合。透射电子显微镜分析显示，fCS 沉淀存在于胶原蛋白纤维的间隙区域，呈大致球状或椭圆形点状。fCS 点沿纤维的圆周排列，其轴向重复周期与纤维的周期性相匹配。物理化学分析表明，fCS 的存在显著增加了纤维的负电荷。这些发现为 fCS 在海参体壁中的分布及其与其他大分子的超分子组织提供了新的见解。
