A Mucopolysaccharide Containing Hydroxyproline from Corn Pericarp

Abstract

Abstract A plant proteinpolysaccharide complex extracted from corn (Zea mays) pericarp with 15% trichloracetic acid contains hydroxyproline as a significant constituent of its protein or polypeptide moiety. Hydroxyproline, serine, and threonine, present in nearly equimolar amounts, constitute one-third of the amino acid residues. The polysaccharide portion of this material contains glucose in major amounts along with galactose, arabinose, and xylose. It also contains glucosamine. Enzymic digestions remove much of the hexose-containing polysaccharide, leaving a homogeneous core that contains most of the hydroxyamino acids and glucosamine. The resistance to extensive efforts to resolve the carbohydrate and protein moieties by physical means suggests the associated material to be a mucopolysaccharide.