Biotin labeling of the symbiotically important succinoglycan oligosaccharides of Rhizobium meliloti for identification of putative plant receptors Original Research Article

The symbiotically important trimer of the succinoglycan octasaccharide subunit was labeled with a biotin tag through coupling with a 6-biotinamidohexan hydrazide and subsequent reduction with borane. The acetyl and succinyl groups in the molecule were stable to the two-step sequence, while a small percentage of the ketal in the pyruvate groups was reduced to an ether-linked lactic acid moiety attached to either the O-4 or O-6 position of the sugar residue under the reaction conditions.