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A hemicellulose is one of a number of heteropolymers, such as arabinoxylans, present along with cellulose in almost all terrestrial plant cell walls. While cellulose is crystalline, strong, and resistant to hydrolysis, hemicelluloses have random, amorphous structure with little strength. They are easily hydrolyzed by dilute acid or base as well as a myriad of hemicellulase enzymes.
n-Octyl β-d-thioglucopyranoside is a mild nonionic detergent that is used for cell lysis or to solubilise membrane proteins without denaturing them. This is particularly of use in order to crystallise them or to reconstitute them into lipid bilayers. It has a critical micelle concentration of 9 mM.
Schizophyllan is a neutral extracellular polysaccharide produced by the fungus Schizophyllum commune. Schizophyllan is a β-1,3 beta-glucan with β-1,6 branching. Schizophyllan is also known as sizofiran.
Anidulafungin (INN) is a semisynthetic echinocandin used as an antifungal drug. It was previously known as LY303366. It may also have application in treating invasive Aspergillus infection when used in combination with voriconazole. It is a member of the class of antifungal drugs known as the echinocandins; its mechanism of action is by inhibition of (1→3)-β-D-glucan synthase, an enzyme important to the synthesis of the fungal cell wall.
A glucan is a polysaccharide derived from D-glucose, linked by glycosidic bonds. Many beta-glucans are medically important. They represent a drug target for antifungal medications of the echinocandin class.
Beta-glucans, β-glucans comprise a group of β-D-glucose polysaccharides (glucans) naturally occurring in the cell walls of cereals, bacteria, and fungi, with significantly differing physicochemical properties dependent on source. Typically, β-glucans form a linear backbone with 1–3 β-glycosidic bonds but vary with respect to molecular mass, solubility, viscosity, branching structure, and gelation properties, causing diverse physiological effects in animals.
Echinocandins are a class of antifungal drugs that inhibit the synthesis of β-glucan in the fungal cell wall via noncompetitive inhibition of the enzyme 1,3-β glucan synthase. The class has been termed the "penicillin of antifungals," along with the related papulacandins, as their mechanism of action resembles that of penicillin in bacteria. β-glucans are carbohydrate polymers that are cross-linked with other fungal cell wall components, the fungal equivalent to bacterial peptidoglycan. Caspofungin, micafungin, and anidulafungin are semisynthetic echinocandin derivatives with limited clinical use due to their solubility, antifungal spectrum, and pharmacokinetic properties.
Curdlan is a water-insoluble linear beta-1,3-glucan, a high-molecular-weight polymer of glucose. Curdlan consists of β-(1,3)-linked glucose residues and forms elastic gels upon heating in aqueous suspension. It was reported to be produced by Alcaligenes faecalis var. myxogenes. Subsequently, the taxonomy of this non-pathogenic curdlan-producing bacterium has been reclassified as Agrobacterium species.
C-type lectin domain family 7 member A or Dectin-1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the CLEC7A gene. CLEC7A is a member of the C-type lectin/C-type lectin-like domain (CTL/CTLD) superfamily. The encoded glycoprotein is a small type II membrane receptor with an extracellular C-type lectin-like domain fold and a cytoplasmic domain with a partial immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif. It functions as a pattern-recognition receptor for a variety of β-1,3-linked and β-1,6-linked glucans from fungi and plants, and in this way plays a role in innate immune response. Expression is found on myeloid dendritic cells, monocytes, macrophages and B cells. Alternate transcriptional splice variants, encoding different isoforms, have been characterized. This gene is closely linked to other CTL/CTLD superfamily members on chromosome 12p13 in the natural killer gene complex region.
Oligosaccharides and polysaccharides are an important class of polymeric carbohydrates found in virtually all living entities. Their structural features make their nomenclature challenging and their roles in living systems make their nomenclature important.
Mixed-linkage glucan (MLG), sometimes incorrectly referred to as beta-glucan, is a hemicellulosic polysaccharide consisting of β-D(1-3) and β-D(1-4) linked glucosyl residues. MLG is highly prevalent within the Poales, where it has important properties in the diet. In addition, although thought to be confined to the Poales, MLG has been found to be highly prevalent in plants of the distantly related genus Equisetum.
1,2,3,4,6-Pentagalloylglucose is the pentagallic acid ester of glucose. It is a gallotannin and the precursor of ellagitannins.
Glucanases are enzymes that break down large polysaccharides via hydrolysis. The product of the hydrolysis reaction is called a glucan, a linear polysaccharide made of up to 1200 glucose monomers, held together with glycosidic bonds. Glucans are abundant in the endosperm cell walls of cereals such as barley, rye, sorghum, rice, and wheat. Glucanases are also referred to as lichenases, hydrolases, glycosidases, glycosyl hydrolases, and/or laminarinases. Many types of glucanases share similar amino acid sequences but vastly different substrates. Of the known endo-glucanases, 1,3-1,4-β-glucanase is considered the most active.
Nigerose phosphorylase is an enzyme with systematic name 3-O-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl-D-glucopyranose:phosphate beta-D-glucosyltransferase. This enzyme catalyses the following chemical reaction
Chitin disaccharide deacetylase (EC 3.5.1.105, chitobiose amidohydolase, COD, chitin oligosaccharide deacetylase, chitin oligosaccharide amidohydolase) is an enzyme with systematic name 2-(acetylamino)-4-O-(2-(acetylamino)-2-deoxy-beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-2-deoxy-D-glucopyranose acetylhydrolase. This enzyme catalyses the following chemical reaction
A septum in cell biology is the new cell wall that forms between two daughter cells as a result of cell division.
Oat β-glucans are water-soluble β-glucans derived from the endosperm of oat kernels known for their dietary contribution as components of soluble fiber. Due to their property to lower serum total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and potentially reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, oat β-glucans have been assigned a qualified health claim by the European Food Safety Authority and the US Food and Drug Administration.
Polyglucan is any polysaccharide that contains glucan units. Specifically, polyglucan's are a structural polysaccharide. The basic polyglucan unit consists of a long linear chain of several hundred to many thousands D-glucose monomers attached with a type of covalent bond called, glycosidic bonds. The point of attachment is O-glycosidic bonds, where a glycosidic oxygen links the glycoside to the reducing end sugar. Polyglucans naturally occur in the cell walls of bacteria. Bacteria produce this polysaccharide in a cluster near the bacteria's cells. Polyglucan's are a source of beta-glucans. Structurally, beta 1.3-glucans are complex glucose homopolymers binding together in a beta-1,3 configuration.
Botryosphaeran is an exopolysaccharide (EPS) produced by the ascomyceteous fungus Botryosphaeria rhodina. Characterization of the chemical structure of botryosphaeran showed this EPS to be a (1→3)(1→6)-β-D-glucan. This particular β-glucan can be produced by several strains of Botryosphaeria rhodina that include: MAMB-05, DABAC-P82, and RCYU 30101. Botryosphaeran exhibits interesting rheological properties and novel biological functions including hypoglycaemia, hypocholesterolaemia, anti-atheroslerosis and anti-cancer activity, with potential commercial applications. Three cosmetic products formulated with botryosphaeran have been developed to promote skin health and treat skin conditions for future intended commercialization purposes.
Ibrexafungerp, sold under the brand name Brexafemme, is an antifungal medication used to treat vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC). It is taken by mouth. An estimated 75% of women will have at least one episode and 40 to 45% will have two or more episodes in their lifetime.
