Inhibition of in vitro biosynthesis of N-acetylneuraminic acid by N-acyl- and N-alkyl-2-amino-2-deoxyhexoses

Exploration of the Sialic Acid World

Sialic acids are cytoprotectors, mainly localized on the surface of cell membranes with multiple and outstanding cell biological functions. The history of their structural analysis, occurrence, and functions is fascinating and described in this review. Reports from different researchers on apparently similar substances from a variety of biological materials led to the identification of a 9-carbon monosaccharide, which in 1957 was designated "sialic acid." The most frequently occurring member of the sialic acid family is N-acetylneuraminic acid, followed by N-glycolylneuraminic acid and O-acetylated derivatives, and up to now over about 80 neuraminic acid derivatives have been described. They appeared first in the animal kingdom, ranging from echinoderms up to higher animals, in many microorganisms, and are also expressed in insects, but are absent in higher plants. Sialic acids are masks and ligands and play as such dual roles in biology. Their involvement in immunology and tumor biology, as well as in hereditary diseases, cannot be underestimated. N-Glycolylneuraminic acid is very special, as this sugar cannot be expressed by humans, but is a xenoantigen with pathogenetic potential. Sialidases (neuraminidases), which liberate sialic acids from cellular compounds, had been known from very early on from studies with influenza viruses. Sialyltransferases, which are responsible for the sialylation of glycans and elongation of polysialic acids, are studied because of their significance in development and, for instance, in cancer. As more information about the functions in health and disease is acquired, the use of sialic acids in the treatment of diseases is also envisaged.

Asking more from metabolic oligosaccharide engineering

Glycans form one of the four classes of biomolecules, are found in every living system and present a huge structural and functional diversity. As an illustration of this diversity, it has been reported that more than 50% of the human proteome is glycosylated and that 2% of the human genome is dedicated to glycosylation processes. Glycans are involved in many biological processes such as signalization, cell-cell or host pathogen interactions, immunity, etc. However, fundamental processes associated with glycans are not yet fully understood and the development of glycobiology is relatively recent compared to the study of genes or proteins. Approximately 25 years ago, the studies of Bertozzi's and Reutter's groups paved the way for metabolic oligosaccharide engineering (MOE), a strategy which consists in the use of modified sugar analogs which are taken up into the cells, metabolized, incorporated into glycoconjugates, and finally detected in a specific manner. This groundbreaking strategy has been widely used during the last few decades and the concomitant development of new bioorthogonal ligation reactions has allowed many advances in the field. Typically, MOE has been used to either visualize glycans or identify different classes of glycoproteins. The present review aims to highlight recent studies that lie somewhat outside of these more traditional approaches and that are pushing the boundaries of MOE applications.

Biochemical, Cellular, Physiological, and Pathological Consequences of Human Loss of N-Glycolylneuraminic Acid

About 2-3 million years ago, Alu-mediated deletion of a critical exon in the CMAH gene became fixed in the hominin lineage ancestral to humans, possibly through a stepwise process of selection by pathogen targeting of the CMAH product (the sialic acid Neu5Gc), followed by reproductive isolation through female anti-Neu5Gc antibodies. Loss of CMAH has occurred independently in some other lineages, but is functionally intact in Old World primates, including our closest relatives, the chimpanzee. Although the biophysical and biochemical ramifications of losing tens of millions of Neu5Gc hydroxy groups at most cell surfaces remains poorly understood, we do know that there are multiscale effects functionally relevant to both sides of the host-pathogen interface. Hominin CMAH loss might also contribute to understanding human evolution, at the time when our ancestors were starting to use stone tools, increasing their consumption of meat, and possibly hunting. Comparisons with chimpanzees within ethical and practical limitations have revealed some consequences of human CMAH loss, but more has been learned by using a mouse model with a human-like Cmah inactivation. For example, such mice can develop antibodies against Neu5Gc that could affect inflammatory processes like cancer progression in the face of Neu5Gc metabolic incorporation from red meats, display a hyper-reactive immune system, a human-like tendency for delayed wound healing, late-onset hearing loss, insulin resistance, susceptibility to muscular dystrophy pathologies, and increased sensitivity to multiple human-adapted pathogens involving sialic acids. Further studies in such mice could provide a model for other human-specific processes and pathologies involving sialic acid biology that have yet to be explored.

Cyclopropenes: a new tool for the study of biological systems

Cyclopropenes have become an important mini-tag tool in chemical biology, participating in fast inverse electron demand Diels–Alder and photoclick reactions in biological settings.

Surface engineering of macrophages with nucleic acid aptamers for the capture of circulating tumor cells

In order to enhance the interactions between macrophages and cancer cells, thiol-terminated nucleic acid aptamers were immobilized on methacryloyl-functionalised carbohydrates of macrophages. The adhesion of cancer cells on the surface modified macrophages was significantly accelerated.

Metabolic Glycoengineering with N-Acyl Side Chain Modified Mannosamines

In metabolic glycoengineering (MGE), cells or animals are treated with unnatural derivatives of monosaccharides. After entering the cytosol, these sugar analogues are metabolized and subsequently expressed on newly synthesized glycoconjugates. The feasibility of MGE was first discovered for sialylated glycans, by using N-acyl-modified mannosamines as precursor molecules for unnatural sialic acids. Prerequisite is the promiscuity of the enzymes of the Roseman-Warren biosynthetic pathway. These enzymes were shown to tolerate specific modifications of the N-acyl side chain of mannosamine analogues, for example, elongation by one or more methylene groups (aliphatic modifications) or by insertion of reactive groups (bioorthogonal modifications). Unnatural sialic acids are incorporated into glycoconjugates of cells and organs. MGE has intriguing biological consequences for treated cells (aliphatic MGE) and offers the opportunity to visualize the topography and dynamics of sialylated glycans in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo (bioorthogonal MGE).

Metabolic glycoengineering bacteria for therapeutic, recombinant protein, and metabolite production applications

Metabolic glycoengineering is a specialization of metabolic engineering that focuses on using small molecule metabolites to manipulate biosynthetic pathways responsible for oligosaccharide and glycoconjugate production. As outlined in this article, this technique has blossomed in mammalian systems over the past three decades but has made only modest progress in prokaryotes. Nevertheless, a sufficient foundation now exists to support several important applications of metabolic glycoengineering in bacteria based on methods to preferentially direct metabolic intermediates into pathways involved in lipopolysaccharide, peptidoglycan, teichoic acid, or capsule polysaccharide production. An overview of current applications and future prospects for this technology are provided in this report.

Tissue-based metabolic labeling of polysialic acids in living primary hippocampal neurons

The posttranslational modification of neural cell-adhesion molecule (NCAM) with polysialic acid (PSA) and the spatiotemporal distribution of PSA-NCAM play an important role in the neuronal development. In this work, we developed a tissue-based strategy for metabolically incorporating an unnatural monosaccharide, peracetylated N-azidoacetyl-D-mannosamine, in the sialic acid biochemical pathway to present N-azidoacetyl sialic acid to PSA-NCAM. Although significant neurotoxicity was observed in the conventional metabolic labeling that used the dissociated neuron cells, neurotoxicity disappeared in this modified strategy, allowing for investigation of the temporal and spatial distributions of PSA in the primary hippocampal neurons. PSA-NCAM was synthesized and recycled continuously during neuronal development, and the two-color labeling showed that newly synthesized PSA-NCAMs were transported and inserted mainly to the growing neurites and not significantly to the cell body. This report suggests a reliable and cytocompatible method for in vitro analysis of glycans complementary to the conventional cell-based metabolic labeling for chemical glycobiology.

Preparation of biointeractive glycoprotein-conjugated hydrogels through metabolic oligosacchalide engineering

In the current study, synthetic hydrogels containing metabolically engineered glycoproteins of mammalian cells were prepared for the first time and selectin-mediated cell adhesion on the hydrogel was demonstrated. A culture of HL-60 cells was supplemented with an appropriate volume of aqueous solution of N-methacryloyl mannosamine (ManMA) to give a final concentration of 5 mM. The cells were then incubated for 3 days to deliver methacryloyl groups to the glycoproteins of the cells. A transparent hydrogel was formed via redox radical polymerization of methacryloyl functionalized glycoproteins with 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine and a cross-linker. Conjugation of the glycoproteins into the hydrogel was determined using Coomassie brilliant blue (CBB) and periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining. The surface density of P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1) on the hydrogels was also detected using gold-colloid-labeled immunoassay. Finally, selectin-mediated cell adhesion on hydrogels containing glycoproteins was demonstrated. Selectin-mediated cell adhesion is considered an essential step in the progression of various diseases; therefore, hydrogels having glycoproteins could be useful in therapeutic and diagnostic applications.

UDP-GlcNAc 2-Epimerase/ManNAc Kinase (GNE): A Master Regulator of Sialic Acid Synthesis

UDP-N-acetylglucosamine 2-epimerase/N-acetylmannosamine kinase is the key enzyme of sialic acid biosynthesis in vertebrates. It catalyzes the first two steps of the cytosolic formation of CMP-N-acetylneuraminic acid from UDP-N-acetylglucosamine. In this review we give an overview of structure, biochemistry, and genetics of the bifunctional enzyme and its complex regulation. Furthermore, we will focus on diseases related to UDP-N-acetylglucosamine 2-epimerase/N-acetylmannosamine kinase.

Chemical probing of glycans in cells and organisms

Among the four major building blocks of life, glycans play essential roles in numerous physiological and pathological processes. Due to their non-templated biosynthesis, advances towards elucidating the molecular details of glycan functions are relatively slow compared with the pace of protein and nucleic acid research. Over the past 30 years, chemical tools have emerged as powerful allies to genetics and molecular biology in the study of glycans in their native environment. This tutorial review will provide an overview of the recent technological developments in the field, as well as the progress in the application of these techniques to probe glycans in cells and organisms.

Crystal structures of N-acetylmannosamine kinase provide insights into enzyme activity and inhibition

Sialic acids are essential components of membrane glycoconjugates. They are responsible for the interaction, structure, and functionality of all deuterostome cells and have major functions in cellular processes in health and diseases. The key enzyme of the biosynthesis of sialic acid is the bifunctional UDP-N-acetylglucosamine-2-epimerase/N-acetylmannosamine kinase that transforms UDP-N-acetylglucosamine to N-acetylmannosamine (ManNAc) followed by its phosphorylation to ManNAc 6-phosphate and has a direct impact on the sialylation of cell surface components. Here, we present the crystal structures of the human N-acetylmannosamine kinase (MNK) domain of UDP-N-acetylglucosamine-2-epimerase/N-acetylmannosamine kinase in complexes with ManNAc at 1.64 Å resolution, MNK·ManNAc·ADP (1.82 Å) and MNK·ManNAc 6-phosphate · ADP (2.10 Å). Our findings offer detailed insights in the active center of MNK and serve as a structural basis to design inhibitors. We synthesized a novel inhibitor, 6-O-acetyl-ManNAc, which is more potent than those previously tested. Specific inhibitors of sialic acid biosynthesis may serve to further study biological functions of sialic acid.

Regulation and pathophysiological implications of UDP-GlcNAc 2-epimerase/ManNAc kinase (GNE) as the key enzyme of sialic acid biosynthesis

The key enzyme for the biosynthesis ofN-acetylneuraminic acid, from which all other sialic acids are formed, is the bifunctional enzyme UDP-N-acetylglucosamine 2-epimerase/N-acetylmannosamine kinase (GNE). GNE is a highly conserved protein found throughout the animal kingdom. Its highest expression is seen in the liver and placenta. GNE is regulated by a variety of biochemical means, including tetramerization promoted by the substrate UDP-GlcNAc, phosphorylation by protein kinase C and feedback inhibition by CMP-Neu5Ac, which is defect in the human disease sialuria. GNE knock-out in mice leads to embryonic lethality, emphasizing the crucial role of this key enzyme for sialic acid biosynthesis. The metabolic capacity to synthesize sialic acid and CMP-sialic acid upon ManNAc loads is amazingly high. An additional characteristic of GNE is its interaction with proteins involved in the regulation of development, which might play a crucial role in the hereditary inclusion body myopathy. Due to the importance of increased concentrations of tumor-surface sialic acid, first attempts to find inhibitors of GNE have been successful.

Sialic acid and N-acyl sialic acid analog production by fermentation of metabolically and genetically engineered Escherichia coli

Sialic acid is the terminal sugar found on most glycoproteins and is crucial in determining serum half-life and immunogenicity of glycoproteins. Sialic acid analogs are antiviral therapeutics as well as crucial tools in bacterial pathogenesis research, immunobiology and development of cancer diagnostic imaging. The scarce supply of sialic acid hinders production of these materials. We have developed an efficient, rapid and cost effective fermentation route to access sialic acid. Our approach uses low cost feedstock, produces an industrially relevant amount of sialic acid and is scalable to manufacturing levels. We have also shown that precursor directed biosynthesis can be used to produce a N-acyl sialic acid analog. This work demonstrates the feasibility of engineering manufacturing-friendly bacteria to produce complex, unavailable small molecules.

Inhibition of Biosynthesis and Biochemical Modulation of N-Acylneuraminic Acid (Biochemical Engineering of Sialoconjugates). A Review

The key enzyme of sialic acid biosynthesis is the bifunctional UDP-GlcNAc 2-epimerase/ ManNAc kinase. Novel inhibitors of this enzyme have been synthesized. TheN-acyl side chain of sialic acid can be biochemically engineered by incubating cells with non-naturalN-acylmannosamine analogues such asN-propionylmannosamine and related compounds. These modified sialic acids lead to various biological changes, such as stimulation of T-lymphocyte proliferation, inhibition of the uptake of influenza A virus, stimulation of neuritic growth, increased expression of sialyl-Lewisxand altered adhesion. A review with 41 references.

Consequences of a subtle sialic acid modification on the murine polyomavirus receptor

Polyomaviruses are small, nonenveloped DNA tumor viruses with restricted host ranges. Virus binding to cell surface receptors is one determinant of viral tropism. Although murine polyomavirus is among the best characterized viruses, little is known about the sialic acid-containing receptor and its interaction with viral particles. By using nonradioactive virus binding assays as recently described for the B-lymphotropic papovavirus, murine polyomavirus particles were found to bind in a saturable and noncooperative manner to 25,000 receptors per 3T6 mouse fibroblast. The virus-receptor interaction at 4 degrees C was of high affinity (Kd = 1.8 x 10(-11) M), very fast (k1 = 1.7 x 10(7) M(-1) s(-1)), and stable (half-life = 38 min). Elongation of the N-acyl side chain of sialic acid by biosynthetic modulation with synthetic precursor analogs has been shown for other polyomaviruses to influence both sialic acid-dependent binding and infection (O. T. Keppler, P. Stehling, M. Herrmann, H. Kayser, D. Grunow, W. Reutter, and M. Pawlita, J. Biol. Chem. 270:1308-1314, 1995). In 3T6 cells in which about one-third of the sialic acids were modified, infection and binding of polyomavirus particles were significantly reduced. The number of receptors per cell was decreased to 18,000, with the remaining receptors displaying the same affinity as in untreated cells. Molecular modeling studies based on the three-dimensional structure of a mouse polyomavirus-sialyllactose complex recently solved by T. Stehle and coworkers (T. Stehle, Y. W. Yan, T. L. Benjamin, and S. C. Harrison, Nature 369:160-163, 1994) were performed. They suggest that the elongation of the N-acyl side chain by a single methylene group leads to steric hinderence, with the peptide backbone of a loop walling the tip of the shallow sialic acid binding groove. This collision appears to be incompatible with functional binding. The data are taken as a basis to discuss possible features of the organization and topology of the cellular receptor for mouse polyomavirus.

Biosynthetic modulation of sialic acid-dependent virus-receptor interactions of two primate polyoma viruses

Sialic acids are essential components of the cell surface receptors of many microorganisms including viruses. A synthetic, N-substituted D-mannosamine derivative has been shown to act as precursor for structurally altered sialic acid incorporated into glycoconjugates in vivo (Kayser, H., Zeitler, R., Kannicht, C., Grunow, D., Nuck, R., and Reutter, W. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 16934-16938). In this study we have analyzed the potential of three different sialic acid precursor analogues to modulate sialic acid-dependent virus receptor function on different cells. We show that treatment with these D-mannosamine derivatives can result in the structural modification of about 50% of total cellular sialic acid content. Treatment interfered drastically and specifically with sialic acid-dependent infection of two distinct primate polyoma viruses. Both inhibition (over 95%) and enhancement (up to 7-fold) of virus binding and infection were observed depending on the N-acyl substitution at the C-5 position of sialic acid. These effects were attributed to the synthesis of metabolically modified, sialylated virus receptors, carrying elongated N-acyl groups, with altered binding affinities for virus particles. Thus, the principle of biosynthetic modification of sialic acid by application of appropriate sialic acid precursors to tissue culture or in vivo offers new means to specifically influence sialic acid-dependent ligand-receptor interactions and could be a potent tool to further clarify the biological functions of sialic acid, in particular its N-acyl side chain.

New amino sugar analogues are incorporated at different rates into glycoproteins of mouse organs

Different radiolabelled N-acyl-derivatives of D-glucosamine were synthesized using D-glucosamine and the respective carbonic acid anhydride. Metabolism of these sugar analogues could be shown in vitro as well as in vivo. After the intraperitoneal administration of these radiolabelled N-acyl-D-glucosamines to mice, their rate of incorporation into glycoproteins of different organs was found to increase markedly with the length of the N-acyl side chain. Highest incorporation was measured in the whole intestine using N-pentanoyl-D-glucosamine as label.

Incorporation of N-acyl-2-amino-2-deoxy-hexoses into glycosphingolipids of the pheochromocytoma cell line PC 12

The synthesis of N-acyl-2-amino-2-deoxy-hexoses, their metabolism and their incorporation into glycosphingolipids of rat pheochromocytoma cell line PC 12 were investigated. The data indicate that in PC 12 cells the N-acyl-2-amino-2-deoxy-hexoses, N-propanoyl-D-glucosamine and N-butanoyl-D-glucosamine are metabolized to the corresponding phosphates, and that N-propanoyl-D-glucosamine is also metabolized to N-propanoyl neuraminic acid. Using variously radiolabelled N-acyl-2-amino-2-deoxy-hexoses, their incorporation into glycosphingolipids was shown.

Inhibition of N-acetylglucosamine kinase and N-acetylmannosamine kinase by 3-O-methyl-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine in vitro

During the search for inhibitors of N-acetylneuraminic acid biosynthesis, it was shown that 3-O-methyl-N-acetylglucosamine competitively inhibits the N-acetylglucosamine kinase of rat liver in vitro with a Ki value of 17 microM. N-Acetylmannosamine kinase is inhibited non-competitively with a Ki value of 80 microM. In a human hepatoma cell line (HepG2), 3-O-methyl-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (1 mM) inhibits the incorporation of 14C-N-acetylglucosamine and 14C-N-acetylmannosamine into cellular glycoproteins by 88% and 70%, respectively.

Inhibition of the biosynthesis of N-acetylneuraminic acid by metal ions and selenium in vitro

In liver homogenate the biosynthesis of N-acetylneuraminic acid using N-acetylglucosamine as precursor can be followed stepwise by applying different chromatographic procedures. In this cell-free system 16 metal ions (Zn2+, Mn2+, La3+, Co2+, Cu2+, Hg2+, VO3-, Pb2+, Ce3+, Cd2+, Fe2+, Fe3+, Al3+, Sn2+, Cs+ and Li+) and the selenium compounds, selenium(IV) oxide and sodium selenite, have been checked with respect to their ability to influence a single or possibly several steps of the biosynthesis of N-acetylneuraminic acid. It could be shown that the following enzymes are sensitive to these metal ions (usually applied at a concentration of 1 mmol l-1): N-acetylglucosamine kinase (inhibited by Zn2+ and vandate), UDP-N-acetylglucosamine-2'-epimerase (inhibited by Zn2+, Co2+, Cu2+, Hg2+, VO3-, Pb2+, Cd2+, Fe3+, Cs+, Li+, selenium(IV) oxide and selenite), and N-acetylmannosamine kinase (inhibited by Zn2+, Cu2+, Cd2+ and Co2+). Dose dependent measurements have shown that Zn2+, Cu2+ and selenite are more efficient inhibitors of UDP-N-acetylglucosamine-2'-epimerase than vanadate. As for the N-acetylmannosamine kinase inhibition, a decreasing inhibitory effect exists in the following order Zn2+, Cd2+, Co2+ and Cu2+. In contrast, La3+, Al3+ and Mn2+ (1 mmol l-1) did not interfere with the biosynthesis of N-acetylneuraminic acid. Thus, the conclusion that the inhibitory effect of the metal ions investigated cannot be regarded as simply unspecific is justified.

Inhibitors of glycoprotein biosynthesis

Altogether 30 different sugar analogues have been tested in a cell free system from rat liver or, in part, in freshly prepared hepatocytes. It is our aim to find suitable compounds which are able either to interfere with the metabolization of L-fucose, galactose and N-acetylmannosamine or, alternatively, to block the attachment of these sugars to the nascent oligosaccharide chain. 1-Methylfucoside inhibits the fucokinase by a competitive mode (Ki = 1.1 mmol/l). Both the fucokinase and fucose-1-phosphate pyrophosphorylase activity are impaired by Clobenoside, a chloro-containing glucofuranoside (Ki values between 5 to 10 mmol/l). In hepatocytes this inhibition leads to a drastic reduction of fucoprotein biosynthesis and secretion. 1-Methylenegalactose proved to be a promising competitive inhibitor of the galactokinase (Ki = 4.1 mmol/l), while the efficacy of 2-deoxy-2-fluoro-galactose and 6-deoxy-6-fluoro-galactose is less pronounced. Part of these sugar analogues could become a suitable tool in order to elucidate the biological significance of terminal and subterminal sugars.