beta-Glycosyl azides as substrates for alpha-glycosynthases: preparation of efficient alpha-L-fucosynthases

Chem Biol. 2009 Oct 30;16(10):1097-108. doi: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2009.09.013.

Abstract

Fucose-containing oligosaccharides play a central role in physio-pathological events, and fucosylated oligosaccharides have interesting potential applications in biomedicine. No methods for the large-scale production of oligosaccharides are currently available, but the chemo-enzymatic approach is very promising. Glycosynthases, mutated glycosidases that synthesize oligosaccharides in high yields, have been demonstrated to be an interesting alternative. However, examples of glycosynthases available so far are restricted to a limited number of glycosidases families and to only one retaining alpha-glycosynthase. We show here that new mutants of two alpha-L-fucosidases are efficient alpha-L-fucosynthases. The approach shown utilized beta-L-fucopyranosyl azide as donor substrate leading to transglycosylation yields up to 91%. This is the first method exploiting a beta-glycosyl azide donor for alpha-glycosynthases; its applicability to the glycosynthetic methodology in a wider perspective is presented.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Substitution
  • Azides / chemistry*
  • Azides / pharmacology
  • Catalytic Domain
  • Crystallography, X-Ray
  • Glycosylation
  • Kinetics
  • Mutagenesis, Site-Directed
  • Oligosaccharides / biosynthesis
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary
  • Recombinant Proteins / chemistry
  • Recombinant Proteins / genetics
  • Recombinant Proteins / metabolism
  • Substrate Specificity
  • alpha-L-Fucosidase / chemistry
  • alpha-L-Fucosidase / genetics
  • alpha-L-Fucosidase / metabolism*

Substances

  • Azides
  • Oligosaccharides
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • alpha-L-Fucosidase

Associated data

  • PDB/1ODU