The Preferred Conformation of Oligosaccharides Derived from the Complex‐Type Carbohydrate Portions of Glycoproteins

Abstract

The preferred conformation in aqueous solution of oligosaccharides related to the complex‐type carbohydrate portion of glycoproteins has been inferred from high‐resolution nuclear magnetic resonance data (both 1 H and 13 C) combined with hard‐sphere exo ‐anomeric calculations. The results indicate that the N ‐acetyl‐lactosamine units are arranged in such a way that they are widely separated in space. Thus, these carbohydrates can cover large surface areas of the attached protein and provide good targets for recognition by other proteins.