Glucans
Glucans - Related Videos
02:25
An Assay for Analyzing Test β-Glucan as an Immunotherapy Strategy against Brain Cancer Cells
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2025
This video demonstrates an in vitro assay utilizing β-glucans to activate microglial cells for the production of superoxide radicals, a reactive oxygen species. In brain cancer cells, the generated reactive oxidants actively suppress tumor cell proliferation and induce cell death.
10:02
Isolation and Purification of Fungal β-Glucan as an Immunotherapy Strategy for Glioblastoma
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Cited by 1 •
2023
The present protocol describes the purification steps and subsequent studies of four different fungal β-glucans as potential immunomodulatory molecules that enhance the anti-tumoral properties of microglia against glioblastoma cells.
06:13
Determination of Glucan Chain Length Distribution of Glycogen Using the Fluorophore-Assisted Carbohydrate Electrophoresis (FACE) Method
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Cited by 4 •
2022
In the present protocol, the Fluorophore-Assisted Carbohydrate Electrophoresis (FACE) technique is used to determine the chain length distribution (CLD) and the average chain length (ACL) of glycogen.
09:07
Concanavalin A-Based Sedimentation Assay to Measure Substrate Binding of Glucan Phosphatases
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2022
This method describes a lectin-based in vitro sedimentation assay to quantify the binding affinity of glucan phosphatase and amylopectin. This co-sedimentation assay is reliable for measuring glucan phosphatase substrate binding and can be applied to various solubilized glucan substrates.
08:43
OLIgo Mass Profiling (OLIMP) of Extracellular Polysaccharides
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Cited by 35 •
2010
A rapid way is described to gain insights into the structure of polysaccharides in an extracellular matrix. The method takes advantage of the specificity of glycosylhydrolases and the sensitivity of mass spectrometry allowing minute amounts of materials to be analyzed. This technique is adaptable to be used directly on tissue itself.
FAQs
Linkage patterns strongly influence how glucans behave because alpha or beta configurations and the arrangement of glycosidic bonds affect chain organization. Those molecular differences can change solubility and mechanical strength, helping explain why related glucose polymers serve different structural or storage roles. This comparison connects molecular architecture with biological function.
Branching and three-dimensional organization add another level of structural control. They influence how chains pack and interact, which can affect solubility, mechanical strength, and recognition. This matters because two glucans with similar glucose building blocks may have different biological properties when their branching or spatial arrangement differs.
Biological recognition depends partly on the molecular features displayed by a glucan, including its linkage pattern, branching, and three-dimensional organization. These properties can shape how glucans participate in signaling and host-microbe interactions. Studying this relationship helps explain why structural variation matters for interactions between cells and microbes.
Across biology, glucans can support different functional demands. In plants, they contribute to cell-wall architecture; in fungi and bacteria, they contribute to cellular structures; and in some systems, they act as energy reserves. Comparing these settings shows that the same broad class of glucose-based polymers can be associated with architecture or storage, depending on context.
Structural comparisons can connect glucose linkage, chain length, branching, and three-dimensional organization with properties such as solubility and mechanical strength. They can also clarify relationships to cell architecture, immune recognition, and host-microbe interactions. This framework supports biology research that moves from molecular features to cellular or organism-level relevance.
Glucans attract attention in biomaterials and medicine because their structural diversity can be considered alongside their roles in cell architecture, signaling, immune recognition, and host-microbe interactions. Research also examines their potential therapeutic applications. The outcome is an assessment of how specific molecular organization relates to a biological or material function.