Xylose

The acyclic form of xylose has chemical formula . Cyclic hemiacetal isomers are more prevalent in solution. These cyclic isomers include the pyranoses feature six-membered rings, and the furanoses, which feature five-membered rings (with a pendant group). Each of these rings is subject to further isomerism, depending on the relative orientation of the anomeric hydroxy group. The dextrorotary form, -xylose, is the one that usually occurs endogenously in living things. A levorotary form, -xylose, can be synthesized. ==Occurrence==

Xylose is the main building block for the hemicellulose xylan, which comprises about 30% of some plants (birch for example), far less in others (spruce and pine have about 9% xylan). Xylose is otherwise pervasive, being found in the embryos of most edible plants. It was first isolated from wood by Finnish scientist, Koch, in 1881, but first became commercially viable, with a price close to sucrose, in 1930. Xylose is also the first saccharide added to the serine or threonine in the proteoglycan type O-glycosylation, and, so, it is the first saccharide in biosynthetic pathways of most anionic polysaccharides such as heparan sulfate and chondroitin sulfate. Xylose is also found in some species of Chrysolinina beetles, including Chrysolina coerulans. They have cardiac glycosides (including xylose) in their defensive glands. == Applications ==

Chemicals The acid-catalysed degradation of hemicellulose gives furfural, a precursor to synthetic polymers and to tetrahydrofuran. Human consumption Xylose is not a major human nutrient and is largely excreted by the kidneys. An oxidoreductase pathway is present in eukaryotic microorganisms. Humans have enzymes called protein xylosyltransferases (XYLT1, XYLT2) which transfer xylose from UDP to a serine in the core protein of proteoglycans. Animal medicine In animal medicine, xylose is used to test for malabsorption by administration in water to the patient after fasting. If xylose is detected in blood and/or urine within the next few hours, it has been absorbed by the intestines. High xylose intake on the order of approximately 100 g/kg of animal body weight is relatively well tolerated in pigs, and in a similar manner to results from human studies, a portion of the xylose ingested is excreted in urine unmodified. Derivatives Reduction of xylose by catalytic hydrogenation produces the sugar alcohol xylitol, which provides about 2.4 calories per gram, and is used as a sweetener. ==See also==