The key difference between beta glucan 1 3 and 1 6 is that beta-glucan 1 3 forms a microfibrillar structure, whereas beta-glucan 1 6 forms a branched amorphous structure.
Beta-glucan 1 3 and beta-glucan 1 6 are derivatives of glucan sugars that differ from each other according to the chemical structure and bonding.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Beta Glucan 1 3
3. What is Beta Glucan 1 6
4. Beta Glucan 1 3 vs 1 6 in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Beta Glucan 1 3 vs 1 6
What is Beta Glucan 1 3?
Beta-glucan 1 3 or beta-1,3-glucan is a glucose polymer that is linked by 1,3-glycosidic bonds. Often, beta-1,3 glucan is branched. It has side chains that are attached to the backbone through a 1,6-linkage. Typically, beta-1,3 glucan displays a triple helical structure, and it dissolves in alkaline solutions. Moreover, this substance shows strong immune-modulating effects. This effect is shown because this substance has the ability to activate cellular and humoral components of the host immune system. Callose and curdlan are beta-1 3 glucans.
Beta 1 3 glucan is typically a major component in all characterized fungal cell walls. This makes up between 30% and 80% of the mass of the wall. Moreover, this compound occurs in the branched form of the cell wall. Therefore, it is well-studied as a cell wall building block.
The various biological functions of beta-glucan 1 3 come from its special structure. For example, it can regulate the human immune response, and we can use it as an antigen enhancer. This is important in improving immunogenicity.
What is Beta Glucan 1 6?
Beta glucan 1 6 or beta-1,6 glucan is an important component of S.ceravisiae and C.albicans cell walls. According to some research, it is found as a major constituent in the C.neoformans cell wall. Moreover, there are crosslinks between beta-1,6 glucans and beta-1,3 glucans in chitin present in S.cerevissiae as well as with the GPI anchor oligosaccharide. The formation of crosslinks with GPI anchor and the cell wall matric can covalently attach the GPI-anchored cell wall proteins to the cell wall. Therefore, beta 1 6 glucan tends to play an important role during the formation of the S.cerevisiae cell wall matrix.
Beta-1,6 glucan synthase is an enzyme that is still under experiment to definitively identify any fungal species. It is believed to be the enzyme that makes beta-1,6 glucan. However, there are a lot of genes that can affect the synthesis of beta-1,6 glucan that occurs in S.cerevisiae. e.g. KRE5, BIG1, and ROT1 proteins.
Moreover, beta-1 6 glucan can be identified as a second beta-linked glucan of the cell wall in S-cerevisiae. When considering vegetative cells, there is about 12% of beta-1,6 glucan, which make up the cell wall polysaccharide.
What is the Difference Between Beta Glucan 1 3 and 1 6?
Glucan can be used as a dietary supplement, and the most common form of supplement is beta 1,3/1,6 glucan supplement. It has both glucan 1 3 and glucan 1 6 beta forms. The key difference between beta glucan 1 3 and 1 6 is that beta-glucan 1 3 makes a microfibrillar structure, whereas beta-glucan 1 6 forms a branched amorphous structure. Moreover, beta-glucan 1 3 has a high degree of polymerization while beta-glucan 1 6 has a low high degree of polymerization.
The below infographic presents the differences between beta glucan 1 3 and 1 6 in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.
Summary – Beta Glucan 1 3 vs 1 6
Beta-glucan 1 3 or beta-1,3-glucan is a glucose polymer that is linked by 1,3-glycosidic bonds. Beta glucan 1 6 or beta-1,6 glucan is an important component of the S.ceravisiae and C.albicans cell walls. The key difference between beta glucan 1 3 and 1 6 is that beta-glucan 1 3 makes a microfibrillar structure, whereas beta-glucan 1 6 forms a branched amorphous structure.
Reference:
1. “Beta 1,3 Glucan.” An Overview | ScienceDirect Topics.
Image Courtesy:
1. “3eqo” By Ishida, T., Fushinobu, S., Kawai, R., Kitaoka, M., Igarashi, K., Samejima, M.;visualization author: User: Astrojan – RSCB (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia