Enzymatic Synthesis of a Series of Thioglycosides: Analogs of Arbutin with Efficient Antipigmentation Properties

Reverse thiophosphorylase activity of a glycoside phosphorylase in the synthesis of an unnatural Manβ1,4GlcNAc library

β-Mannosides are ubiquitous in nature, with diverse roles in many biological processes. Notably, Manβ1,4GlcNAc a constituent of the core N-glycan in eukaryotes was recently identified as an immune activator, highlighting its potential for use in immunotherapy. Despite their biological significance, the synthesis of β-mannosidic linkages remains one of the major challenges in glycoscience. Here we present a chemoenzymatic strategy that affords a series of novel unnatural Manβ1,4GlcNAc analogues using the β-1,4-d-mannosyl-N-acetyl-d-glucosamine phosphorylase, BT1033. We show that the presence of fluorine in the GlcNAc acceptor facilitates the formation of longer β-mannan-like glycans. We also pioneer a "reverse thiophosphorylase" enzymatic activity, favouring the synthesis of longer glycans by catalysing the formation of a phosphorolysis-stable thioglycoside linkage, an approach that may be generally applicable to other phosphorylases.

Novel triple mutant of an extremophilic glycosyl hydrolase enables the rapid synthesis of thioglycosides

In order to expand the toolbox of enzymes available for thioglycoside synthesis, we describe here the first example of an extremophilic glycosyl hydrolase from Halothermothrix orenii (HorGH1) engineered towards thioglycosynthase activity with a novel combination of mutations. Using the triple mutant, HorGH1 M299R/E166A/E354G, a range of thioglycosides from glycosyl fluoride donors and aromatic thiols could be synthesised with exquisite stereoselectivity and good to excellent conversions (61-93%).

Copper(I)-Catalyzed Sandmeyer-Type S-Arylation of 1-Thiosugars with Aryldiazonium Salts under Mild Conditions

Preparation of S-aryl thioglycosides from 1-thiosugars via S-arylation was demonstrated under mild reaction conditions. A wide range of protected and unprotected 1-thiosugars derived from glucose, glucosamine, galactose, mannose, ribose, maltose, and lactose underwent cross-coupling reactions with functionalized aryldiazonium salts in the presence of copper(I) chloride and DBU. The desired products were obtained in 55-88% yields within 5 min. Various functional groups, including halogens, were tolerated under standard reaction conditions. Synthesis of the biologically relevant antidiabetic dapagliflozin S-analogue and arbutin S-analogues (tyrosinase inhibitors) was demonstrated.