Sulfatase-catalyzed assembly of regioselectively O-sulfonated p-nitrophenyl α-d-gluco- and α-d-mannopyranosides

Trehalose/2-sulfotrehalose biosynthesis and glycine-betaine uptake are widely spread mechanisms for osmoadaptation in the Halobacteriales

We investigated the mechanisms of osmoadaptation in the order Halobacteriales, with special emphasis on Haladaptatus paucihalophilus, known for its ability to survive in low salinities. H. paucihalophilus genome contained genes for trehalose synthesis (trehalose-6-phosphate synthase/trehalose-6-phosphatase (OtsAB pathway) and trehalose glycosyl-transferring synthase pathway), as well as for glycine betaine uptake (BCCT family of secondary transporters and QAT family of ABC transporters). H. paucihalophilus cells synthesized and accumulated ∼1.97-3.72 μmol per mg protein of trehalose in a defined medium, with its levels decreasing with increasing salinities. When exogenously supplied, glycine betaine accumulated intracellularly with its levels increasing at higher salinities. RT-PCR analysis strongly suggested that H. paucihalophilus utilizes the OtsAB pathway for trehalose synthesis. Out of 83 Halobacteriales genomes publicly available, genes encoding the OtsAB pathway and glycine betaine BCCT family transporters were identified in 38 and 60 genomes, respectively. Trehalose (or its sulfonated derivative) production and glycine betaine uptake, or lack thereof, were experimentally verified in 17 different Halobacteriales species. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that trehalose synthesis is an ancestral trait within the Halobacteriales, with its absence in specific lineages reflecting the occurrence of gene loss events during Halobacteriales evolution. Analysis of multiple culture-independent survey data sets demonstrated the preference of trehalose-producing genera to saline and low salinity habitats, and the dominance of genera lacking trehalose production capabilities in permanently hypersaline habitats. This study demonstrates that, contrary to current assumptions, compatible solutes production and uptake represent a common mechanism of osmoadaptation within the Halobacteriales.

Synthesis of sulfated glucosaminides for profiling substrate specificities of sulfatases and fungal beta-N-acetylhexosaminidases

Systematic sulfation: Sulfated glycoconjugates are degraded either by desulfation followed by glycoside cleavage, or by glycoside cleavage followed by desulfation. To study these processes, here we report the synthesis of four regioisomerically sulfated p-nitrophenyl glucosaminides from the common precursor p-nitrophenyl N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminide. These substrates allowed the rapid analysis of the substrate preferences of a set of four sulfatases and 24 hexosaminidases.Sulfated carbohydrates are components of many glycoconjugates, and are degraded by two major processes: cleavage of the sulfate ester by a sulfatase, or en bloc removal of a sulfated monosaccharide by a glycoside hydrolase. However, these processes have proved difficult to study owing to a lack of homogeneous, defined substrates. We describe here the synthesis of a series of p-nitrophenyl beta-D-glucosaminides bearing sulfate esters at the 2-, 3-, 4- or 6-positions, by divergent routes starting with p-nitrophenyl 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-beta-D-glucopyranoside. The sulfated p-nitrophenyl beta-D-glucosaminides were used to study the substrate specificity of four sulfatases (from Helix pomatia, Patella vulgata, abalone, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa), and revealed significant differences in the preference of each of these enzymes for desulfation at different positions around the sugar ring. The 3-, 4- and 6-sulfated p-nitrophenyl 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-beta-D-glucosaminides were screened against a panel of 24 fungal beta-N-acetylhexosaminidases to assess their substrate specificity. While the 4- and 6-sulfates were substrates for many of the fungal enzymes investigated, only a single beta-N-acetylhexosaminidase, that from Penicillium chrysogenum, could hydrolyze the 3-sulfated p-nitrophenyl glycoside. Together these results demonstrate the utility of sulfated p-nitrophenyl beta-D-glucosaminides for the study of both sulfatases and glycoside hydrolases.

Sulfatide and its synthetic analogues recognition by Moraxella catarrhalis

Moraxella catarrhalis is one of the major pathogens of respiratory and middle ear infections. Attachment of this bacterium to the surface of human pharyngeal epithelial cells is the first step in the pathogenesis of infections. This study revealed that sulfatide might act as a binding molecule for the attachment of M. catarrhalis to human pharyngeal epithelial cells. Furthermore, six different synthetic sulfatides were found to inhibit the attachment of M. catarrhalis significantly at an optimum concentration of 10 microg/ml. Synthetic sulfatides may have the potential to be used as a therapy to prevent M. catarrhalis infections.

Substrate specificity of N-acetylhexosaminidase from Aspergillus oryzae to artificial glycosyl acceptors having various substituents at the reducing ends

The substrate specificity of N-acetylhexosaminidase (E.C. 3.2.1.51) from Aspergillus oryzae was examined using p-nitrophenyl 6-O-sulfo-N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminide (6-O-sulfo-GlcNAc-O-pNP) as the glycosyl donor and a series of beta-d-glucopyranosides and N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminides with variable aglycons at the anomeric positions as the acceptors. When beta-D-glucopyranosides with methyl (CH(3)), allyl (CH(2)CHCH(2)), and phenyl (C(6)H(5)) groups at the reducing end were used as the acceptors, this enzyme transferred the 6-O-sulfo-GlcNAc moiety in the donor to the location of O-4 in these glycosyl acceptors with a high regioselectivity, producing the corresponding 6-O-sulfo-N-acetylglucosaminyl beta-D-glucopyranosides. However, beta-D-glucopyranose lacking aglycon was a poor substrate for transglycosylation. This A. oryzae enzyme could also accept various N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminides carrying hydroxyl (OH), methyl (CH(3)), propyl (CH(2)CH(2)CH(3)), allyl (CH(2)CHCH(2)) and p-nitrophenyl (pNP; C(6)H(4)-NO(2)) groups at their aglycons, yielding 6-O-sulfo-N-acetylglucosaminyl-beta(1-->4)-disaccharide products.

A bovine glucuronidase for assembly of β-d-glucuronyl-(1–3)-6-O-sulfo-β-d-gluco- and galacto-pyranosyl linkages

Glucuronidase-catalyzed transglycosylation was examined by using 4-nitrophenyl beta-D-glucuronide (D-GlcA-O-pNP) as the glycosyl donor; when pNP 6-O-sulfo-beta-D-gluco- and D-galacto-pyranosides were used as the acceptors, a bovine enzyme was found to construct beta-D-GlcA-(1-3)-linkages with the 6-O-sulfo-sugars in both a site- and beta-selective way.