Exploration of conformational flexibility and hydrogen bonding of xylosides in different solvents, as a model system for enzyme active site interactions
The predominantly populated conformation of carbohydrates in solution does not necessarily represent the biologically active species; rather, any conformer accessible without too large an energy penalty may be present in a biological pathway. Thus, the conformational preferences of a naphthyl xyloside, which initiates in vivo synthesis of antiproliferative glycosaminoglycans, have been studied by