Glucose synthesis research

A substantial amount of research has been carried out in the field of tetrazole-fused sugars (rhamnose, mannose, and glucose derivatives) - mostly because of the biological importance of these derivatives. In many of these cases synthesis of the fused tetrazole moieties has been perfected by intramolecular 1,3-cycloaddition reactions with participation of a cyano and azido group. Some of these results are shown in Schemes 26 and 27. 

In vivo linear a-l,4-glucans are synthesized from ADP-glucose by the enzyme glycogen synthase [94-97]. The enzyme, as well as the monomer, are quite sensitive and therefore most researchers (at least in the field of polymer science) prefer to use phosphorylase for the synthesis of amylose. 

Fischer himself considered the above synthesis of glucose, and the determination of the steric structures of glucose and galactose, to be a rounded-off piece of research. We have not shown the detours and obstacles which detained the experimentalist. The paths, the concepts adopted, and even the aims to be achieved could be determined only as the work progressed. A survey will now be given of other results, obtained concurrently with the above, but this survey will necessarily be limited to the more important findings. 

Amylin is a 37-residue peptide hormone first discovered independently by two research groups in 1987 (78, 79). Amylin is secreted by pancreatic 3-cells at the same time as insulin (in a roughly 100 1 ratio), and it is the major component of diabetes-associated islet amyloid deposits. It inhibits basal and insulin-stimulated glucose uptake as well as glycogen synthesis by soleus muscles (80). Thus, amylin is also known as a diabetes-associated peptide. 

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