Evidence for the occurrence of oligosaccharides from bovine glycophorin having a branching point at C-6 of N-acetylgalactosamine.

Some large acidic oligosaccharides from bovine glycophorin were purified and their structures were determined by methylation analysis, nitrous acid deamination and selective acid hydrolysis after hydrazinolysis, Smith degradation and acetolysis. One oligosaccharide was a mixture of two decasaccharides: (formula; see text) The mixture of oligosaccharides released by NaOH-NaBH4 treatment was subjected to selective acid hydrolysis after hydrazinolysis. The occurrence of N-acetylglucosamine residue attached to C-6 of the reducing terminal N-acetylgalactosaminitol was demonstrated by isolating the disaccharide, GlcNAc(1----6)GalNAcol.