The soluble poly-β-D-glucan from oats has been subjected to degradation by two different types of enzymes. "Cellulase" converts the polysaccharide to a trisaccharide, 4-O-β-D-lamina-ribiosyl-D-glucose, and two tetrasaccharides, 3′-O-β-D-cellobiosyl-D-cellobiose and 4′-O-β-D-laminaribiosyl-D-cellobiose. Degradation by the second enzyme, "laminarinase", produces a trisaccharide, 3-O-β-D-cellobiosyl-D-glucose, and a tetrasaccharide, 3-O-β-D-cellotriosyl-D-glucose. These products, which account for 75-85% of the polymer in each experiment, have been characterized by chemical methods. The data show that the glucan is composed almost entirely of two types of structural sequences: one is a tetrameric unit in which a single β-(1 → 3) linkage alternates with two β-(1 → 4) linkages, and the other, a pentameric unit in which a single β-(1 → 3) linkage alternates with three consecutive β-(1 → 4) linkages.The soluble poly-β-D-glucan from barley has been shown by enzymolysis with the "cellulase" to be closely related in detailed structure to the oat polymer.Steric aspects of the enzymic degradations are discussed.
 
                                    燕麦中可溶性聚β-D-
葡聚糖经过两种不同类型的酶降解。 "
纤维素酶"将
多糖转化为三糖,即4-O-β-D-拉曼
核糖基-
D-葡萄糖,以及两个四糖,即3'-O-β-
D-纤维二糖基-
D-纤维二糖和4'-O-β-D-拉曼
核糖基-
D-纤维二糖。第二种酶"Laminarinase"的降解产物是三糖,即3-O-β-D-
纤维三糖基-
D-葡萄糖,和四糖,即3-O-β-D-
纤维三糖基-
D-葡萄糖。这些产物在每个实验中占聚合物的75-85%,并通过
化学方法进行了表征。数据表明,聚糖几乎完全由两种结构序列组成:一种是四聚体单元,其中单个β-(1 → 3)键交替出现两个β-(1 → 4)键,另一种是五聚体单元,其中单个β-(1 → 3)键交替出现三个连续的β-(1 → 4)键。通过"
纤维素酶"对大麦中可溶性聚β-D-
葡聚糖的酶解显示其与燕麦聚合物在详细结构上密切相关。讨论了酶降解的立体方面。