6sulfaat

6sulfaat is a term used to describe a sulfate ester substituent located at the sixth position of a molecule, most often on a sugar or carbohydrate. In systematic terms, it is described as a 6-O-sulfate, indicating that the hydroxyl group at carbon 6 has been esterified with sulfuric acid to form a sulfate ester (R-O-SO3−). The introduction of a sulfate group creates a negatively charged, hydrophilic modification that can influence solubility, conformation, and interactions with proteins and other molecules.

In biochemistry, sulfation patterns on carbohydrates are widespread and biologically important. 6-O-sulfation is a common modification in glycosaminoglycans such as heparan sulfate and chondroitin sulfate, where it modulates binding to growth factors, enzymes, and structural proteins. The precise pattern of sulfation (including 2-O, 4-O, and 6-O positions) helps determine biological activity, signaling, and the extracellular matrix’s properties. Sulfation is reversible in some contexts and can be enzymatically regulated in vivo.

Synthesis and analysis of 6-sulfates are common in carbohydrate chemistry and glycobiology. They can be introduced chemically or enzymatically, and detection typically involves mass spectrometry, NMR, and specialized enzymatic or antibody-based assays. In Dutch-language literature, the term 6-sulfaat is used to denote this substituent, aligning with the broader concept of sulfate esters in organic and bioorganic chemistry.

See also: sulfation, sulfate ester, glycosaminoglycans, heparan sulfate, chondroitin sulfate, 6-O-sulfation.