Enzymic synthesis of oligosaccharides on an α-chymotrypsin-sensitive polymer. O-(β-d-Galactopyranosyl)-(1→4)-O-(β-d-glucopyranosyl)-(1→4)-d-glucopyranose

Enzyme-catalyzed oligosaccharide synthesis

Cell-surface carbohydrates and their conjugates are involved in many types of molecular recognition. This review describes recent developments in enzyme-catalyzed oligosaccharide synthesis, with particular focus on glycosyltransferase and glycosidase reactions. With the increasing availability of glycosyltransferases via recombinant DNA technology, glycosyltransferase-catalyzed glycosylation with in situ regeneration of sugar nucleotides appears to be the most effective method for large-scale stereocontrolled oligosaccharide synthesis.