Oligosaccharide structures of the low-molecular-weight salivary mucin from a normal individual and one with cystic fibrosis.

Studies were begun to compare the oligosaccharide structures of the low-molecular-weight mucin purified from the submandibular-sublingual saliva of a normal individual with that from one with cystic fibrosis. Following alkaline/borotritide cleavage, neutral and sialic acid-containing chains were purified by a combination of gel filtration, paper chromatography, and high-voltage paper electrophoresis. Oligosaccharides ranged in size from a disaccharide to a heptasaccharide. Approximately 80% of the oligosaccharides were GalB1, 3GalNAc; Fuc alpha 1,2GalB1,3GalNAc; and NeuAc alpha 2,3GalB1, 3GalNAc. The other structures were Fuc alpha 1,2GalB1,4(Fuc alpha 1,3)GlcNAcB1,6(GalB1,3)GalNAc or GalB1,4(Fuc alpha 1,3)GlcNAcB1,6(Fuc alpha 1,2GalB1,3)GAlNAc; GalB1,4(Fuc alpha 1,3)GlcNAcB1,6(NeuAc alpha 2,3GalB1,3)GalNAc; and Fuc alpha 1,2GalB1,4(Fuc alpha 1,3)GlcNAcB1,6 (NeuAc alpha 2,3GalB1,3)GalNAc. There were no apparent qualitative differences in the neutral and sialic acid-containing units recovered from the normal and cystic fibrosis samples.