Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 25, 2026

Sequencing of Plant Wall Heteroxylans Using Enzymic, Chemical Methylation and Physical Mass Spectrometry, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Techniques
Published on: March 24, 2016
Biosynthesis of oligodextrans with different Mw by synergistic catalysis of dextransucrase and dextranase
Weiwei Gan1, Hongbin Zhang1, Yuqi Zhang1
1Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering, School of Medical Engineering, HeFei University of Technology, 193 Tunxi Road, Hefei 230009, PR China.
Abstract:
In this study, we have investigated various adding times of dextranase to the dextransucrase system to reveal the synergistic process of dextransucrase and dextranase. Dextranase added into the dextransucrase-sucrose system at different times gave rise to different main dextran products. The results showed that dextranase added into sucrose system at the same time with dextransucrase synthesized low molecular weight (Mw) dextran targeted to 5 kDa, while dextranase added during the reaction process of dextransucrase directionally prepared dextran with medium Mw of 10 kDa and 20 kDa. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and (1)H Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) exhibited that the synthesized oligodextrans were mainly composed of α-1,6-glycosidic linkages (dextran 6587 Da, 96.82%; dextran 22,521 Da, 96.03%) and low α-1,3-glycosidic branch. The research established the relationship between the synergistic catalysis of the double enzymatic system and the synthesis of oligodextrans with different Mw.
Related Concept Videos
Oligosaccharide Assembly
Multiple sugar molecules that may or may...
Biosynthesis of Polysaccharides
Dehydration Synthesis
Dehydration synthesis (also called a condensation reaction) is the chemical process in which two molecules covalently link together to form a new molecule, along with the release of a water molecule. Many physiologically important compounds form by dehydration synthesis reactions, such as complex carbohydrates, proteins, DNA, and RNA.
Synthesis of carbohydrates
Sugar molecules are covalently linked together by dehydration synthesis. During the reaction, the hydroxyl (-OH) group from...
Hydrolysis
Hydrolysis is a chemical reaction in which the addition of water breaks down a polymer into its simpler monomer units. For example, peptides break into amino acids, carbohydrates into simple sugars, and DNA into nucleotides. Enzymes often facilitate these processes.
Hydrolysis Reverses Dehydration Synthesis
Complex carbohydrates can be broken down by breaking the bonds between individual sugar units. The reaction breaks a glycosidic bond as water is added to the compound. The...

