Biosynthesis of a Fucose-containing Glycopeptide from Rat Small Intestine in Normal and Vitamin A-deficient Conditions

The number of goblet cells in the small intestine decreased in the vitamin A-deficient rat. Incorporation of 14C-d-glucosamine into a fucose-containing glycopeptide declined markedly. Ultracentrifugation of this glycopeptide in H2O gave only a single component, with a sedimentation value of 3.6 S, whereas, in 0.1 mphosphate buffer (pH 7.5) two components appeared, with much higher sedimentation constants (6.2 S and 7.2 S).