Hydrodynamic properties of 2-mercaptoethanol-modified glycogen

Treatment of glycogen with 2-mercaptoethanol and iodoacetamide gives rise to a modified glycogen which resembles the original glycogen in its hydrodynamic behaviour but has a pronounced tendency to aggregate. The modified glycogen can be distinguished easily, by its diffusion coefficient, from glycogen degraded by more traditional methods of extraction. The 'fundamental' glycogen particle appears to be composed of two or three glycogen beta-particles linked by a single protein chain.