Structure of the D-glucans produced by Neisseria perflava

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Abstract
A chemical and enzymic study of the cellular glucan of N. perflava and of the glucan produced from sucrose by a cell-free extract of N. perflava showed from optical rotation, 13C NMR, methylation analysis, and .alpha.- and .beta.-amylase hydrolysis studies that the glucans had glycogen-like structures. These structures were composed of chains of 1-4-.alpha.-D-glucopyranosyl units with branch points of 4-O- and 6-O-disubstituted D-glucopyranose units. While the backbone structures of the 2 glucans were similar, the release of maltose by the action of .beta.-amylase indicated that the 1-4 linked nonreducing side chains of the cell-free enzymically synthesized glucan were longer (.apprx. 7 units) than those present in the cellular glucan (.apprx. 2-3 units), a result in agreement with methylation analyses.