Structure and Function of Stony Coral Intraskeletal Polysaccharides

ACS Omega. 2018 Mar 31;3(3):2895-2901. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.7b02053. Epub 2018 Mar 9.

Abstract

Polysaccharides represent a main weight fraction of the intraskeletal organic matrix of corals, but their structure, as well as their function in the calcification process, has been poorly investigated. This communication shows by a combination of techniques (nuclear magnetic resonance, Fourier transform infrared, and monosaccharide composition) that their key component is a 1→3 β-d glucuronic acid polymer and evidences its influence in vitro in the calcification process.