Design and Synthesis of 2‘-Deoxy-2‘-Fluorodisaccharides as Mechanism-Based Glycosidase Inhibitors That Exploit Aglycon Specificity

Fluorinated carbohydrates as chemical probes for molecular recognition studies. Current status and perspectives

This review provides an extensive summary of the effects of carbohydrate fluorination with regard to changes in physical, chemical and biological properties with respect to regular saccharides. The specific structural, conformational, stability, reactivity and interaction features of fluorinated sugars are described, as well as their applications as probes and in chemical biology.

Total Chemical Syntheses of the GM3 and F-GM3 Ganglioside Epitopes and Comparative Pre-Clinical Evaluation for Non-Invasive Imaging of Oligodendrocyte Differentiation

Gangliosides are intimately involved in a plenum of (neuro)inflammatory processes, yet progress in establishing structure-function interplay is frequently hindered by the availability of well-defined glycostructures. Motivated by the ubiquity of the ganglioside GM₃ in chemical neurology, and in particular by its conspicuous presence in myelin, the GM₃ epitope was examined with a view to preclinical validation as a tracer. The suitability of this scaffold for the noninvasive imaging of oligodendrocyte differentiation in Multiple sclerosis is disclosed. The stereocontrolled synthesis of a site-selectively fluorinated analogue (F-GM₃) is also disclosed to enable a comparative analysis in oligodendrocyte (OL) differentiation. Whereas the native epitope caused a decrease in the viability in a dose-dependent manner, the addition of distinct F-GM₃ concentrations over 48 h had no impact on the OL viability. This is likely a consequence of the enhanced hydrolytic stability imparted by the fluorination and highlights the potential of fluorinated glycostructures in the field of molecular imaging. Given the predominant expression of GM₃ in oligodendrocytes and the capacity of GM₃ to interact with myelin-associated proteins, this preclinical evaluation has revealed F-GM₃ to be an intriguing candidate for neurological imaging.

Solid-Phase Synthesis of Fluorinated Analogues of Glycosyl 1-Phosphate Repeating Structures from Leishmania using the Phosphoramidite Method

Bacterial and protozoan sugar chains contain glycosyl 1-phosphate repeating structures; these repeating structures have been studied for vaccine development. The fluorinated analogues of [β-Gal-(1→4)-α-Man-(1→6)-P-] n , which are glycosyl 1-phosphate repeating structures found in Leishmania, were synthesised using the solid-phase phosphoramidite method. This method has been less extensively studied for the synthesis of glycosyl 1-phosphate units than H-phosphonate chemistry. A stepwise synthesis of a compound containing five such repeating units has been conducted using the phosphoramidite method herein, which is the longest glycosyl 1-phosphate structures to be chemically constructed in a stepwise manner.

Single Site Fluorination of the GM4 Ganglioside Epitope Upregulates Oligodendrocyte Differentiation

Relapsing multiple sclerosis is synonymous with demyelination, and thus, suppressing and or reversing this process is of paramount clinical significance. While insulating myelin sheath has a large lipid composition (ca. 70-80%), it also has a characteristically large composition of the sialosylgalactosylceramide gangliosde GM₄ present. In this study, the effect of the carbohydrate epitope on oligodendrocyte differentiation is determined. While the native epitope had no impact on oligodendroglial cell viability, a single site OH → F substitution is the structural basis of a significant increase in ATP production that is optimal at 50 μg/mL. From a translational perspective, this subtle change increases the amount of MBP+ oligodendrocytes compared to the control studies and may open up novel therapeutic remyelination strategies.

Synthesis of substrate analogues as potential inhibitors for Mycobacterium tuberculosis enzyme MshC

Mycothiol cysteine ligase (MshC) is a key enzyme in the mycothiol (MSH) biosynthesis and a promising target for developing new anti-mycobacterial compounds. Herein, we report on the synthesis of substrate analogues, as potential inhibitors, for the MshC enzyme. The target molecules were synthesized employing a Schmidt glycosylation strategy using an enantiomerically pure inositol acceptor and 2-deoxy trichloroacetimidate glycosyl donors with glycosylation yields greater than 70% and overall yields >5%. The inositol acceptor was obtained via chiral resolution of (±)-myo-inositol.

Mechanism-based inhibitors of glycosidases: design and applications

This article covers recent developments in the design and application of activity-based probes (ABPs) for glycosidases, with emphasis on the different enzymes involved in metabolism of glucosylceramide in humans. Described are the various catalytic reaction mechanisms employed by inverting and retaining glycosidases. An understanding of catalysis at the molecular level has stimulated the design of different types of ABPs for glycosidases. Such compounds range from (1) transition-state mimics tagged with reactive moieties, which associate with the target active site—forming covalent bonds in a relatively nonspecific manner in or near the catalytic pocket—to (2) enzyme substrates that exploit the catalytic mechanism of retaining glycosidase targets to release a highly reactive species within the active site of the enzyme, to (3) probes based on mechanism-based, covalent, and irreversible glycosidase inhibitors. Some applications in biochemical and biological research of the activity-based glycosidase probes are discussed, including specific quantitative visualization of active enzyme molecules in vitro and in vivo, and as strategies for unambiguously identifying catalytic residues in glycosidases in vitro.

Phosphodiesters serve as potentially tunable aglycones for fluoro sugar inactivators of retaining β-glycosidases

2-Deoxy-2-fluoroglycosides were synthesised and tested as covalent glycosidase inactivators. β-d-Gluco-, -manno- and -galacto-configured benzyl-benzylphosphonate derivatives efficiently inactivate β-gluco-, β-manno- and β-galactosidases, while α-gluco- and α-manno-configured phosphate and phosphonate derivatives instead served as slow substrates for their cognate α-glycosidases.

Fluorine-directed β-galactosylation: chemical glycosylation development by molecular editing

Validation of the 2-fluoro substituent as an inert steering group to control chemical glycosylation is presented. A molecular editing study has revealed that the exceptional levels of diastereocontrol in glycosylation processes by using 2-fluoro-3,4,6-tri-O-benzyl glucopyranosyl trichloroacetimidate (TCA) scaffolds are a consequence of the 2R,3S,4S stereotriad. This study has also revealed that epimerization at C4, results in a substantial enhancement in β-selectivity (up to β/α 300:1).

Covalent inhibitors of glycosidases and their applications in biochemistry and biology

Glycoside hydrolases are important enzymes in a number of essential biological processes. Irreversible inhibitors of this class of enzyme have attracted interest as probes of both structure and function. In this review we discuss some of the compounds used to covalently modify glycosidases, their use in residue identification, structural and mechanistic investigations, and finally their applications, both in vitro and in vivo, to complex biological systems.

Synthesis and cytotoxic properties of new fluorodeoxyglucose-coupled chlorambucil derivatives

Frequently used in the treatment of malignant cells, alkylating agents, like most anticancer substances, produce adverse side effects caused by the toxicity of the agents toward normal tissues and lose efficiency through poor distribution to target sites. Our approach to developing more selective drugs with low systemic toxicity is based on the premise that the body distribution and cell uptake of a drug can be altered by attaching a neoplastic cell-specific uptake enhancer, such as 2-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose (FDG), the radiotracer most frequently used in PET for tumor imaging. Two properties of deoxyglucose, namely preferential accumulation in neoplastic cells and inhibition of glycolysis, underpin this targeting approach. Here, we report the synthesis of 19 new chlorambucil glycoconjugates in which the alkylating drug is attached to the C-1 position of FDG, directly or via different linkages. This set of compounds was evaluated for in vitro cytotoxicity against different human normal and tumor cell lines. There was a significant improvement in the in vitro cytotoxicity of peracetylated glucoconjugates compared with the free substance. Four compounds were finally selected for further in vivo studies owing to their lack of oxidative stress-inducing properties.

4,6-O-benzylidene-directed beta-mannopyranosylation and alpha-glucopyranosylation: the 2-deoxy-2-fluoro and 3-deoxy-3-fluoro series of donors and the importance of the O2-C2-C3-O3 interaction

A series of 4,6-O-benzylidene-protected 2-O-benzyl-3-deoxy-3-fluoro- and 3-O-benzyl-2-deoxy-2-fluorogluco- and mannopyranosyl thioglycosides were synthesized and their coupling reactions with a series of alcohols, on preactivation with 1-benzenesulfinylpiperidine and trifluoromethanesulfonic anhydride, investigated. In all cases, the selectivities were lower than those observed with the corresponding simple 4,6-O-benzylidene 2,3-di-O-benzylgluco- and mannopyranosyl thioglycosides. This leads to the conclusion that the high beta-selectivity observed with 4,6-O-benzylidene 2,3-di-O-benzylmannopyranosyl donors under the same conditions is in large part derived from the compression of the O2-C2-C3-O3 torsion angle on going from the intermediate covalent glycosyl triflate to the oxacarbenium ion, as compared to the relaxation of this torsion angle in the gluco series.

Mutagenesis and mechanistic study of a glycoside hydrolase family 54 alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase from Trichoderma koningii

A GH (glycoside hydrolase) family 54 alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase from Trichoderma koningii G-39 (termed Abf) was successfully expressed in Pichia pastoris and purified to near homogeneity by cation-exchange chromatography. To determine the amino acid residues essential for the catalytic activity of Abf, extensive mutagenesis of 24 conserved glutamate and aspartate residues was performed. Among the mutants, D221N, E223Q and D299N were found to decrease catalytic activity significantly. The kcat values of the D221N and D299N mutants were 7000- and 1300-fold lower respectively, than that of the wild-type Abf. E223Q was nearly inactive. These results are consistent with observations obtained from the Aspergillus kawachii alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase three-dimensional structure. This structure indicates that Asp221 of T. koningii Abf is significant for substrate binding and that Glu223 as well as Asp299 function as a nucleophile and a general acid/base catalyst for the enzymatic reaction respectively. The catalytic mechanism of wild-type Abf was further investigated by NMR spectroscopy and kinetic analysis. The results showed that Abf is a retaining enzyme. It catalyses the hydrolysis of various substrates via the formation of a common intermediate that is probably an arabinosyl-enzyme intermediate. A two-step, double-displacement mechanism involving first the formation, and then the breakdown, of an arabinosyl-enzyme intermediate was proposed. Based on the kcat values of a series of aryl-alpha-L-arabinofuranosides catalytically hydrolysed by wild-type Abf, a relatively small Brønsted constant, beta(lg)=-0.18, was obtained, suggesting that the rate-limiting step of the enzymatic reaction is the dearabinosylation step. Further kinetic studies with the D299G mutant revealed that the catalytic activity of this mutant depended largely on the pK(a) values (>6) of leaving phenols, with beta(lg)=-1.3, indicating that the rate-limiting step of the reaction becomes the arabinosylation step. This kinetic outcome supports the idea that Asp299 is the general acid/base residue. The pH activity profile of D299N provided further evidence strengthening this suggestion.

Determination of thioxylo-oligosaccharide binding to family 11 xylanases using electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry and X-ray crystallography

Noncovalent binding of thioxylo-oligosaccharide inhibitors, methyl 4-thio-alpha-xylobioside (S-Xyl2-Me), methyl 4,4II-dithio-alpha-xylotrioside (S-Xyl3-Me), methyl 4,4II,4III-trithio-alpha-xylotetroside (S-Xyl4-Me), and methyl 4,4II,4III,4IV-tetrathio-alpha-xylopentoside (S-Xyl5-Me), to three family 11 endo-1,4-beta-xylanases from Trichoderma reesei (TRX I and TRX II) and Chaetomium thermophilum (CTX) was characterized using electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) MS and X-ray crystallography. Ultra-high mass-resolving power and mass accuracy inherent to FT-ICR allowed mass measurements for noncovalent complexes to within |DeltaM|average of 2 p.p.m. The binding constants determined by MS titration experiments were in the range 10(4)-10(3) M-1, decreasing in the series of S-Xyl5-Me>or=S-Xyl4-Me>S-Xyl3-Me. In contrast, S-Xyl2-Me did not bind to any xylanase at the initial concentration of 5-200 microM, indicating increasing affinity with increasing number of xylopyranosyl units, with a minimum requirement of three. The crystal structures of CTX-inhibitor complexes gave interesting insights into the binding. Surprisingly, none of the inhibitors occupied any of the aglycone subsites of the active site. The binding to only the glycone subsites is nonproductive for catalysis, and yet this has also been observed for other family 11 xylanases in complex with beta-d-xylotetraose [Wakarchuk WW, Campbell RL, Sung WL, Davoodi J & Makoto Y (1994) Protein Sci3, 465-475, and Sabini E, Wilson KS, Danielsen S, Schulein M & Davies GJ (2001) Acta CrystallogrD57, 1344-1347]. Therefore, the role of the aglycone subsites remains controversial despite their obvious contribution to catalysis.

Stereoselective syntheses of 1,4-dideoxy-1,4-imino-octitols and novel tetrahydroxyindolizidines

A new route for the preparation of four new indolizidines, (1R,2S,6S,7S,8aS)- and (1R,2S,6R,7R,8aS)-1,2,6,7-tetrahydroxyindolizidine (30 and 32) and (1S,2R,7S,8S,8aR)- and (1S,2R,7R,8R,8aR)-1,2,7,8-tetrahydroxyindolizidine (44 and 46), is reported. The synthesis is based on Knoevenagel homologation of the readily available enantiomerically pure pyrrolidin-carbaldehydes 13 and 37followed by asymmetric dihydroxylation of the subsequent alkenyl pyrrolidines and cyclization of the corresponding imino-octitols. The new indolizidines and their precursors (imino-octitols 20, 25, 26) and indolizidinones 28a and 28b have been tested for inhibitory activities toward 26 glycosidases. The enzymatic inhibition of trans-7-hydroxy-d-(-)-swainsonine (44) toward alpha-mannosidases is similar to that described for trans-7-hydroxy-l-(+)-swainsonine (11b) toward naringinase (alpha-l-rhamnosidase from Penicillium decumbens).

Trapping covalent intermediates on beta-glycosidases

The mechanism-based inactivation and subsequent identification of the nucleophilic residue using mass spectrometry have been successfully applied and used to identify the active-site nucleophile in numerous beta-glycosidases, as illustrated using C. fimi exoglycanase. Evidence for a covalent glycosyl-enzyme intermediate has come from X-ray crystallographic analysis of trapped complexes, the first being that of the trapped fluoroglycosyl-enzyme intermediate of Cex. The crystal structure of the trapped fluorocellobiosyl-enzyme complex for Cex has provided useful insights into catalysis and the roles of specific residues at the active site. In addition, information about the conformation of the natural sugar in the covalently bound state and the interactions at the active site was obtained using a mutant form of Cex.

Synthesis of 5-fluoro N-acetylglucosamine glycosides and pyrophosphates via epoxide fluoridolysis: versatile reagents for the study of glycoconjugate biochemistry

Numerous carbohydrate-processing enzymes facilitate catalysis via stabilization of positive charges on or near the C-1, C-4, C-5, or C-6 positions. Substrate analogues differing only in the substitution of a fluorine for the axial C-5 hydrogen would possess reduced electron density at these positions and could be useful mechanistic probes of these enzymes. Introduction of this 5-fluoro substituent after radical halogenation was problematic because of the incompatibility of many protecting groups to the radical halogenation and the instability of the subsequent 5-fluoro hexosamines. Thus, to allow easy access to a wide variety of 5-fluoro glycosides and glycosyl phosphates, a versatile method for the introduction of the 5-fluoro group has been developed, the key step being the fluoridolysis of C-5, 6 epoxides. By use of this method, two fluorinated carbohydrates, uridine 5'-diphospho-5-fluoro-N-acetylglucosamine and octyl 5-fluoro-N-acetylglucosamine, have been synthesized. Initial biochemical investigations of these compounds show that 5-fluoro analogues are useful probes of transition-state charge development in several enzyme-catalyzed reactions.

A case for reverse protonation: identification of Glu160 as an acid/base catalyst in Thermoanaerobacterium saccharolyticum beta-xylosidase and detailed kinetic analysis of a site-directed mutant

The catalytic mechanism of the family 39 Thermoanaerobacterium saccharolyticum beta-xylosidase (XynB) involves a two-step double-displacement mechanism in which a covalent alpha-xylosyl-enzyme intermediate is formed with assistance from a general acid and then hydrolyzed with assistance from a general base. Incubation of recombinant XynB with the newly synthesized active site-directed inhibitor, N-bromoacetyl-beta-D-xylopyranosylamine, resulted in rapid, time-dependent inactivation of the enzyme (k(i)/K(i) = 4.3 x 10(-4) s(-1)mM(- 1)). Protection from inactivation using xylose or benzyl 1-thio-beta-xyloside suggested that the inactivation was active site-directed. Mass spectrometric analysis indicated that incubation of the enzyme with the inactivator resulted in the stoichiometric formation of a new enzyme species bearing the label. Comparative mapping of peptic digests of both the labeled and unlabeled enzyme by HPLC coupled to an electrospray ionization mass spectrometer permitted the identification of a labeled peptide. Sequencing of this peptide by tandem mass spectrometry identified Glu160 within the sequence (157)IWNEPNL(164) as the site of attachment of the N-acetyl-beta-D-xylopyranosylamine moiety. Kinetic analysis of the Glu160Ala mutant strongly suggests that this residue is involved in acid/base catalysis as follows. First, a significant difference in the dependence of k(cat)/K(m) on pH as compared to that seen for the wild-type enzyme was found, as expected for a residue that is involved in acid/base catalysis. The changes, however, were not as simple as those seen in other cases. Second, a dramatic decrease (up to 10(5)-fold) in the catalytic efficiency (k(cat)/K(m)) of the enzyme with a substrate requiring protonic assistance is observed upon such mutation. In contrast, the catalytic efficiency of the enzyme with substrates bearing a good leaving group, not requiring acid catalysis, is only moderately impaired relative to that of the wild-type enzyme (8-fold). Surprisingly, however, the glycosylation step was rate-limiting for all but the most reactive substrates. Last, the addition of azide as a competitive nucleophile resulted in the formation of a beta-xylosyl azide product and increased the k(cat) and K(m) values up to 8-fold while k(cat)/K(m) remained relatively unchanged. Such kinetic behavior is consistent with azide acting competitively with water as a nucleophile in the second step of the enzyme catalyzed reaction involving breakdown of the xylosyl-enzyme intermediate. Together, these results provide strong evidence for a role of Glu160 in acid/base catalysis but suggest that it may be partnered by a second carboxylic acid residue and that the enzyme may function through using acid catalysis involving reverse protonation of active site residues.

Conformational selection of glycomimetics at enzyme catalytic sites: experimental demonstration of the binding of distinct high-energy distorted conformations of C-, S-, and O-glycosides by E. Coli beta-galactosidases

We show that the conformational features of the molecular complexes of E. coli beta-galactosidase and O-glycosides may differ from those formed with closely related compounds in their chemical nature, such as C- and S-glycosyl analogues. In the particular case presented here, NMR and ab initio quantum mechanical results show that the 3D-shapes of the ligand/inhibitor within the enzyme binding site depend on the chemical nature of the compounds. In fact, they depend on the relative size of the stereoelectronic barriers for chair deformation or for rotation around Phi glycosidic linkage.

Substrate specificity of the glycosyl donor for oligosaccharyl transferase

Oligosaccharyl transferase (OT) catalyzes the co-translational transfer of a dolichol-linked tetradecasaccharide (Dol-PP-GlcNAc(2)Man(9)Glc(3), 1a) to an asparagine side chain of a nascent polypeptide inside the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The glycosyl acceptor requires an Asn-Xaa-Thr/Ser sequon, where Xaa can be any natural amino acid except proline, for N-linked glycosylation to occur. To address the substrate specificity of the glycosyl donor, three unnatural dolichol-linked disaccharide analogues (Dol-PP-GlcNTFA-GlcNAc 1c, Dol-PP-2DFGlc-GlcNAc 1d, and Dol-PP-GlcNAc-Glc 1e) were synthesized and evaluated as substrates or inhibitors for OT from yeast. The synthetic analogue Dol-PP-GlcNAc-Glc 1e, with substitution in the distal sugar, was found to be a substrate (K(m)(app)() = 26 microM) for OT. On the other hand, the analogues Dol-PP-GlcNTFA-GlcNAc 1c (K(i) = 154 microM) and Dol-PP-2DFGlc-GlcNAc 1d (K(i) = 252 microM), with variations in the proximal sugar, were inhibitors for OT. The dolichol-linked monosaccharide Dol-PP-GlcNAc 3 was found to be the minimum unit for glycosylation to occur.

Effects of substituting a OH group by a F atom in D-glucose. Ab initio and DFT analysis

High-level ab initio and DFT methods up to MP2/6-311++G//B3LYP/6-31G and B3LYP/6-311++G//B3LYP/6-31G levels have been used to assess the relative energies of 17 different structures of D-glucose and 13 different structures of 4-deoxy-4-fluoro-D-glucose. The structures were confirmed to correspond to minima on the potential energy surface at the RHF/6-31G level. Solvation Model 5.4/AM1 was used to calculate the effects of aqueous solution. The substitution of a OH group by a F atom does not much change the shape and electrostatic potential around corresponding conformers, but in the gas phase it destabilizes the cooperative network of intramolecular hydrogen bonds. This destabilization mostly affects structures with a chain of intramolecular hydrogen bonds oriented counterclockwise, as fluorine is unable to donate a hydrogen bond and therefore causes a gap in the chain. In contrast, for clockwise-oriented networks of hydrogen bonds, the fluorine can act as an acceptor at the end of a chain of cooperative hydrogen bonds. A slightly higher energy of anomeric and exo-anomeric stabilization is another effect of substituting the fourth hydroxyl group by a fluorine atom in D-glucose, observed both in the gas phase and in aqueous solution. For this reason, the alpha anomers contribute more to the equilibrium population of structures of 4-deoxy-4-fluoro-D-glucose than D-glucose. In aqueous solution, both D-glucose and its 4-deoxy-4-fluoro analogue are present as a mixture of mainly three corresponding structures. This indicates that 4-deoxy-4-fluoro-D-glucose is a good substitute for D-glucose in terms of its biochemical and biological activity. Moreover, this suggests that, for molecules with limited conformational freedom, the substitution of a OH group by a F atom is very likely to lead to a potential new drug. In contrast, it had already been shown that, for conformationally labile aliphatic compounds, replacement of a hydroxyl by a fluorine increases conformational diversity, so the fluorine-containing aliphatic molecules were not likely to be an example of a successful drug design. On the other hand, this work shows that, among molecules with limited conformational freedom, such as cyclic compounds, one is very likely to find targets for a successful rational drug design.

High resolution X-ray crystallography shows that ascorbate is a cofactor for myrosinase and substitutes for the function of the catalytic base

Myrosinase, an S-glycosidase, hydrolyzes plant anionic 1-thio-beta-d-glucosides (glucosinolates) considered part of the plant defense system. Although O-glycosidases are ubiquitous, myrosinase is the only known S-glycosidase. Its active site is very similar to that of retaining O-glycosidases, but one of the catalytic residues in O-glycosidases, a carboxylate residue functioning as the general base, is replaced by a glutamine residue. Myrosinase is strongly activated by ascorbic acid. Several binary and ternary complexes of myrosinase with different transition state analogues and ascorbic acid have been analyzed at high resolution by x-ray crystallography along with a 2-deoxy-2-fluoro-glucosyl enzyme intermediate. One of the inhibitors, d-gluconhydroximo-1,5-lactam, binds simultaneously with a sulfate ion to form a mimic of the enzyme-substrate complex. Ascorbate binds to a site distinct from the glucose binding site but overlapping with the aglycon binding site, suggesting that activation occurs at the second step of catalysis, i.e. hydrolysis of the glycosyl enzyme. A water molecule is placed perfectly for activation by ascorbate and for nucleophilic attack on the covalently trapped 2-fluoro-glucosyl-moiety. Activation of the hydrolysis of the glucosyl enzyme intermediate is further evidenced by the observation that ascorbate enhances the rate of reactivation of the 2-fluoro-glycosyl enzyme, leading to the conclusion that ascorbic acid substitutes for the catalytic base in myrosinase.

Synthesis of (1-->4)-linked 2-deoxy-2-fluoroglucose oligomers. 1

[reaction: see text] Thioglycosides of natural monosaccharides are readily converted into their corresponding chlorides by diphenylchlorosulfonium chloride. This reagent can likewise effect the conversion of the more stable 4-chlorophenylthio 2-deoxy-2-fluoroglucose derivatives into chloride glycosyl donors. On the basis of this activation strategy, it was possible to assemble unnatural oligosaccharides composed of 2-fluorodeoxy sugars.

Chemo-enzymatic synthesis of fluorinated sugar nucleotide: useful mechanistic probes for glycosyltransferases

An effective procedure for the synthesis of 2-deoxy-2-fluoro-sugar nucleotides via Select fluor-mediated electrophilic fluorination of glycals with concurrent nucleophilic addition or chemo-enzymatic transformation has been developed, and the fluorinated sugar nucleotides have been used as probes for glycosyltransferases, including fucosyltransferase III, V, VI, and VII, and sialyl transferases. In general, these fluorinated sugar nucleotides act as competitive inhibitors versus sugar nucleotide substrates and form a tight complex with the glycosyltransferase.

Glycosyl fluorides in enzymatic reactions

Glycosyl fluorides have considerable importance as substrates and inhibitors in enzymatic reactions. Their good combination of stability and reactivity has enabled their use as glycosyl donors with a variety of carbohydrate processing enzymes. Moreover, the installation of fluorine elsewhere on the carbohydrate scaffold commonly modifies the properties of the glycosyl fluoride such that the resultant compounds act as slow substrates or even inhibitors of enzyme action. This review covers the use of glycosyl fluorides as substrates for wild-type and mutant glycosidases and other enzymes that catalyze glycosyl transfer. The use of substituted glycosyl fluorides as inhibitors of enzymes that catalyze glycosyl transfer and as tools for investigation of their mechanism is discussed, including the labeling of active site residues. Synthetic applications in which glycosyl fluorides are used as glycosyl donors in enzymatic transglycosylation reactions for the synthesis of oligo- and polysaccharides are then covered, including the use of mutant glycosidases, the so-called glycosynthases, which are able to catalyze the formation of glycosides without competing hydrolysis. Finally, a short overview of the use of glycosyl fluorides as substrates and inhibitors of phosphorylases and phosphoglucomutase is given.

Subsite mapping of the human pancreatic alpha-amylase active site through structural, kinetic, and mutagenesis techniques

We report a multifaceted study of the active site region of human pancreatic alpha-amylase. Through a series of novel kinetic analyses using malto-oligosaccharides and malto-oligosaccharyl fluorides, an overall cleavage action pattern for this enzyme has been developed. The preferred binding/cleavage mode occurs when a maltose residue serves as the leaving group (aglycone sites +1 and +2) and there are three sugars in the glycon (-1, -2, -3) sites. Overall it appears that five binding subsites span the active site, although an additional glycon subsite appears to be a significant factor in the binding of longer substrates. Kinetic parameters for the cleavage of substrates modified at the 2 and 4' ' positions also highlight the importance of these hydroxyl groups for catalysis and identify the rate-determining step. Further kinetic and structural studies pinpoint Asp197 as being the likely nucleophile in catalysis, with substitution of this residue leading to an approximately 10(6)-fold drop in catalytic activity. Structural studies show that the original pseudo-tetrasaccharide structure of acarbose is modified upon binding, presumably through a series of hydrolysis and transglycosylation reactions. The end result is a pseudo-pentasaccharide moiety that spans the active site region with its N-linked "glycosidic" bond positioned at the normal site of cleavage. Interestingly, the side chains of Glu233 and Asp300, along with a water molecule, are aligned about the inhibitor N-linked glycosidic bond in a manner suggesting that these might act individually or collectively in the role of acid/base catalyst in the reaction mechanism. Indeed, kinetic analyses show that substitution of the side chains of either Glu233 or Asp300 leads to as much as a approximately 10(3)-fold decrease in catalytic activity. Structural analyses of the Asp300Asn variant of human pancreatic alpha-amylase and its complex with acarbose clearly demonstrate the importance of Asp300 to the mode of inhibitor binding.

Chemoenzymatic synthesis of iminocyclitol derivatives: a useful library strategy for the development of selective fucosyltransfer enzymes inhibitors

A chemoenzymatic strategy has been developed for the synthesis of libraries of iminocyclitol derivatives for the discovery of new and selective fucosidase inhibitors.