Volumen 42 - Número 2: 201-204 | 2007
Nota Científica

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Substituciones en la unidad D-Galactosa de polímeros del agar: Implicaciones metabólicas

Mauricio A. Ondarza^1* 

¹Departamento de Ingeniería Ambiental, Unidad Académica Multidisciplinaria Reynosa Rodhe, Reynosa, Tam, Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas, Carretera a San Fernando cruce con canal Rodhe s/n, México

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Regarding macroalgae´s physiology, it is considered that substitutions on the L-Gal unit of agar polymers are representative of their biosynthesis. Studies performed within the Plant Cell Wall Polysaccharides Laboratory team have demonstrated the presence of 4-O-methyl-L-galactose in agar polymers from the rhodophycean thallophyte Gracilaria verrucosa and its linkage on the C-6 position of the D-Gal unit, which is also the site of O-methylation. Based on the 6-O-Me-Gal/ 4-O-Me-Gal ratio and the degree of substitution of D-Gal unit, a new approach for monitoring the characteristic events of agar metabolism was defined.

Key words: Agar, Gracilaria verrucosa, biosynthesis, O-methylation