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Polysaccharide sequencing refers to the determination of the sequence of polysaccharides. This is more complex than sequencing some other biopolymers as although many polysaccharides are linear, many also have branches. Additionally there are many monosaccharides which can each be bonded in different ways by different enzymes. Techniques for determining polysaccharide structures include NMR spectroscopy and methylation analysis.
Exolytic heparinases are needed for sequencing of heparin and heparan sulfate (HP), but have not yet been reported. Here, the authors identify exolytic heparinases from different bacteria and show that the heparinases preferentially digest HP, determine the crystal structure of the exoheparinase BlexoHep and perform sequencing of HP octasaccharides using the enzyme.