A Comparison of the Chemical Structures of Mactins with Mammalian Heparinst

Purified mactin B samples had, in addition to a heparin-like component, varying amounts of a sulfated material which contained galactosamine, galactose and threonine, whereas mactin A contained a sulfated polygalactose and only small amounts of galactosamine or threonine.Results based on the analysis of hexosamine-containing products formed after reaction with nitrous acid indicate that the mactins have molecular structures similar to mammalian heparins, although in contrast to the latter, the mactins appear to have larger proportions of glucuronic than of iduronic acid. These results, along with evidence from fractionation of the mactins on Sephadex G-200, indicate that the galactosamine- and galactose-containing substances are contaminants and are not bound to the rnactins.