The analysis of oligosaccharides derived from different sources by fluorophore-assisted carbohydrate electrophoresis

Fluorophore-assisted carbohydrate electrophoresis (FACE) is a straightforward, sensitive method for determining the presence and relative abundance of individual (oligo)saccharide in a(n) (oligo)saccharide mixture. The single terminal aldehydes of oligoglucoside residues released by acid hydrolysis of β-1, 3-d-glucan from yeast were tagged with the charged fluorophore 8-aminonaphthalene-1,3,6-trisulfonate (ANTS), and separated with high resolution on the basis of size by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. ANTS fluorescence labeling was not biased by oligoglucoside length; therefore, band fluorescence intensity was directly related to the relative abundance of individual oligoglucoside moieties in heterogeneous sample. Therefore, FACE represents an accessible, sensitive, and quantitative analytical tool enabling the analysis of (oligo)saccharides derived from different sources.