Fine chemical structure analysis of oligosaccharides produced by an ulvan-lyase degradation of the water-soluble cell-wall polysaccharides from Ulva sp, (Ulvales, Chlorophyta).

A marine bacterium degrading the water-soluble cell wall polysaccharides from Ulva sp. (ulvan) has been isolated. The good correlation between ulvan degradation monitored by reducing-power, UV absorbance and viscosimetry, indicated that the crude enzymatic extract contains essentially an endo-ulvan lyase activity. This activity was rapidly inhibited by the reaction products which consisted of a series of ulvanobiouronic acid A 3-sulfate [-->4)-beta-D-GlcpA-(1-->4)-alpha-L-Rhap 3-sulfate-(1-->]n with 4-deoxy-L-threo-hex-4-enopyranosiduronic acid at the non-reducing end. Other deviant repeating structures with beta-D-Xylp or alpha-IdopA replacing beta-D-GlcpA in the repeating ulvanobiouronic acid disaccharide and the presence of two consecutive (1-->4) linked beta-D-Glc pA demonstrated the great variability and complexity of ulvan chemical structure.