Details of glycosaminoglycan conformations and intermolecular interactions

Among the mucopolysaccharides, similarities of chemical constitution are manifested in the similar molecular conformations that can be assumed by most of them. The differences, however, result in a preference for particular conformations. Small amounts of one glycosaminoglycan in a mixture can change the conformational preference of the major component. Advances in the techniques of fiber diffraction analysis allow us to visualize the roles of water and ions in some of these structures and to rationalize the strikingly different effects produced by Ca2+ and Na+ in hyaluronate systems, for example.