Glycosyl phenylthiosulfonates (glyco-PTS): novel reagents for glycoprotein synthesis

Chemical synthesis and functional evaluation of glycopeptides and glycoproteins containing rare glycosyl amino acid linkages

Covering: 1987 to 2023Naturally existing glycoproteins through post-translational protein glycosylation are highly heterogeneous, which not only impedes the structure-function studies, but also hinders the development of their potential medical usage. Chemical synthesis represents one of the most powerful tools to provide the structurally well-defined glycoforms. Being the key step of glycoprotein synthesis, glycosylation usually takes place at serine, threonine, and asparagine residues, leading to the predominant formation of the O- and N-glycans, respectively. However, other amino acid residues containing oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and nucleophilic carbon atoms have also been found to be glycosylated. These diverse glycoprotein linkages, occurring from microorganisms to plants and animals, play also pivotal biological roles, such as in cell-cell recognition and communication. The availability of these homogenous rare glycopeptides and glycoproteins can help decipher the glyco-code for developing therapeutic agents. This review highlights the chemical approaches for assembly of the functional glycopeptides and glycoproteins bearing these "rare" carbohydrate-amino acid linkages between saccharide and canonical amino acid residues and their derivatives.

Site- and Stereoselective Glycomodification of Biomolecules through Carbohydrate-Promoted Pictet-Spengler Reaction

Carbohydrates play pivotal roles in an array of essential biological processes and are consequently involved in many diseases. To meet the needs of glycobiology research, chemical enzymatic and non-enzymatic methods have been developed to generate glycoconjugates with well-defined structures. Herein, harnessing the unique properties of C6-oxidized glycans, we report a straightforward and robust strategy for site- and stereoselective glycomodification of biomolecules with N-terminal tryptophan residues by a carbohydrate-promoted Pictet-Spengler reaction, which is not adapted to typical aldehyde substrates under biocompatible conditions. This method reliably delivers highly homogeneous glycoconjugates with stable linkages and thus has great potential for functional modulation of peptides and proteins in glycobiology research. Moreover, this reaction can be performed at the glycosites of glycopeptides, glycoproteins and living-cell surfaces in a site-specific manner. Control experiments indicated that the protected α-O atom of aldehyde donors and free N-H bond of the tryptamine motif are crucial for this reaction. Mechanistic investigations demonstrated that the reaction exhibited a first-order dependence on both tryptophan and glycan, and deprotonation/rearomatization of the pentahydro-β-carbolinium ion intermediate might be the rate-determining step.

A Robust Copper-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling of Glycosyl Thiosulfonate and Boronic Acids Enables the Construction of Thioglycosides

An efficient and stereoretentive copper-catalyzed cross-coupling of glycosyl thiosulfonate and boronic acid for the construction of thioglycosides is described. The good functional group compatibility of this method allows the preparation of many bioactive aryl/alkenyl thioglycosides, including the hSGLT1 inhibitor.

Site-selective photocatalytic functionalization of peptides and proteins at selenocysteine

The importance of modified peptides and proteins for applications in drug discovery, and for illuminating biological processes at the molecular level, is fueling a demand for efficient methods that facilitate the precise modification of these biomolecules. Herein, we describe the development of a photocatalytic method for the rapid and efficient dimerization and site-specific functionalization of peptide and protein diselenides. This methodology, dubbed the photocatalytic diselenide contraction, involves irradiation at 450 nm in the presence of an iridium photocatalyst and a phosphine and results in rapid and clean conversion of diselenides to reductively stable selenoethers. A mechanism for this photocatalytic transformation is proposed, which is supported by photoluminescence spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations. The utility of the photocatalytic diselenide contraction transformation is highlighted through the dimerization of selenopeptides, and by the generation of two families of protein conjugates via the site-selective modification of calmodulin containing the 21st amino acid selenocysteine, and the C-terminal modification of a ubiquitin diselenide.

Chemoselective Solution- and Solid-Phase Synthesis of Disulfide-Linked Glycopeptides

Glycosylation of peptides and proteins is a widely employed strategy to mimic important post-translational modifications or to modulate the physicochemical properties of peptides to enhance their delivery. Furthermore, glycosylation via a sulfur atom imparts increased chemical and metabolic stability to the resulting glycoconjugates. Herein, we report a simple and chemoselective procedure to prepare disulfide-linked glycopeptides. Acetate-protected glycosylsulfenyl hydrazines are shown to be highly reactive with the thiol group of cysteine residues within peptides, both in solution and as part of conventional solid-phase peptide synthesis protocols. The efficiency of this glycosylation methodology with unprotected carbohydrates is also demonstrated, which avoids the need for deprotection steps and further extends its utility, with disulfide-linked glycopeptides produced in excellent yields. Given the importance of glycosylated peptides in structural glycobiology, pharmacology, and therapeutics, the methodology outlined provides easy access to disulfide-linked glycopeptides as molecules with multiple biological applications.

Homo- and Heterogeneous Glycoconjugates on the Basis of N-Glycans and Human Serum Albumin: Synthesis and Biological Evaluation

Neoglycoconjugates mimicking natural compounds and possessing a variety of biological functions are very successful tools for researchers to understand the general mechanisms of many biological processes in living organisms. These substances are characterized by high biotolerance and specificity, with low toxicity. Due to the difficult isolation of individual glycoclusters from biological objects, special interest has been directed toward synthetic analogs. This review is mainly focused on the one-pot, double-click methodology (containing alkyne–azide click cycloaddition with the following 6π-azaelectrocyclization reactions) used in the synthesis of N-glycoconjugates. Homogeneous (including one type of biantennary N-glycan fragments) and heterogeneous (containing two to four types of biantennary N-glycan fragments) glycoclusters on albumin were synthesized via this strategy. A series of cell-, tissue- and animal-based experiments proved glycoclusters to be a very promising class of targeted delivery systems. Depending on the oligosaccharide units combined in the cluster, their amount, and arrangement relative to one another, conjugates can recognize various cells, including cancer cells, with high selectivity. These results open new perspectives for affected tissue visualization and treatment.

α-Vinyl azide–cysteine click coupling reaction enabled bioorthogonal peptide/protein modification

α-Alkyl and α-aryl vinyl azides were found to be able to couple with cysteine-derived alkyl thiols chemoselectively under mild conditions, providing the corresponding β-ketosulfides with simultaneous extrusion of N2 and ammonia.

Chemical modifications of proteins and their applications in metalloenzyme studies

Protein chemical modifications are important tools for elucidating chemical and biological functions of proteins. Several strategies have been developed to implement these modifications, including enzymatic tailoring reactions, unnatural amino acid incorporation using the expanded genetic codes, and recognition-driven transformations. These technologies have been applied in metalloenzyme studies, specifically in dissecting their mechanisms, improving their enzymatic activities, and creating artificial enzymes with non-natural activities. Herein, we summarize some of the recent efforts in these areas with an emphasis on a few metalloenzyme case studies.

Glycosyl disulfides: importance, synthesis and application to chemical and biological systems

This review explores methodologies for the preparation of glycosyl disulfides, their utility as intermediates in carbohydrate synthesis, and evaluates their biological impact in glycoscience and beyond.

Influences of galactose ligand on the uptake of TADF liposomes by HepG2 cells

Glucose is the main energy substance to drive the physiological events of the cell.. Malignant cells exhibit a much higher rate of glycolysis than healthy cells to relieve the increased needs of energy. The higher metabolic rate induces the over-expression of the Glucose Transporter (GLUT) to transport more glucose into malignant cells. Our research regarded overexpressive GLUT as a target of nanoparticles. Substrate of GLUT galactose conjugated Polyethylene glycol-Distearyl phosphatidyl ethanolamine (PEG-DSPE) as a kind of ligand was selected to modified liposome. Thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) was encapsulated as fluorescent probe to evaluate its abilities of targeting malignant cells, and the results of confocal microscopy and flow cytometry demonstrated that Galactose-PEG-DSPE modified liposome had the stronger efficiency of cellular uptake by HepG2 cells compared with Blank-PEG-DSPE modified liposome. The effect of GLUT1 inhibitor on cellular uptake of Galactose-PEG-DSPE modified liposomes showed that the mechanism might be relative to Warburg effect causing GLUT overexpression.

Selective protein N-terminal labeling with N-hydroxysuccinimide esters

In order to gain detailed insight into the biochemical behavior of proteins, researchers have developed chemical tools to incorporate new functionality into proteins beyond the canonical 20 amino acids. Important considerations regarding effective chemical modification of proteins include chemoselectivity, near stoichiometric labeling, and reaction conditions that maintain protein stability. Taking these factors into account, we discuss an N-terminal labeling strategy that employs a simple two-step "one-pot" method using N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) esters. The first step converts a R-NHS ester into a more chemoselective R-thioester. The second step reacts the in situ generated R-thioester with a protein that harbors an N-terminal cysteine to generate a new amide bond. This labeling reaction is selective for the N-terminus with high stoichiometry. Herein, we provide a detailed description of this method and further highlight its utility with a large protein (>100kDa) and labeling with a commonly used cyanine dye.

Nickel-Catalyzed Defluorinative Reductive Cross-Coupling Reaction of gem-Difluoroalkenes with Thiosulfonate or Selenium Sulfonate

A nickel-catalyzed defluorinative reductive cross-coupling of gem-difluoroalkenes with thiosulfonate or selenosulfonates is described. The reaction involves the formation of thiolated or selenylated monofluoroolefins via regioselective C-F bond cleavage and C-S or C-Se bond formation and features easily available substrates, mild reaction conditions, and high E-selectivity. One of the derivatives by further cross coupling with PhMgBr exhibited an aggregation-induced emission enhancement effect.

Visible-light mediated sulfonylation of thiols via insertion of sulfur dioxide

Photocatalytically generated sulfenyl radicals were coupled with arylsulfonyl radicals at room temperature for accessing unsymmetrical organic thiosulfonates.

One-pot synthesis of glycosyl phenylthiosulfonates from sulfinate, S and glycosyl bromides

Glycosyl phenylthiosulfonates are reagents which are valuable for the S-glycosylation decoration of organic compounds and proteins. Here, one-pot multiple-component synthesis of glycosyl phenylthiosulfonates from sulfinate, sulfur powder and glycosyl bromides is reported. The reactions afford glycosyl phenylthiosulfonates in good yields under mild conditions. Further application and exploration of glycosyl phenylthiosulfonates are still on underway in our group.

A straightforward and convenient synthesis of functionalized allyl thiosulfonates and allyl disulfanes

A practical, highly flexible and eco-friendly method has been developed for the synthesis of allyl thiosulfonates using Morita–Baylis–Hillman (MBH) allyl bromides and sodium arylthiosulfonates, which were readily assembled without any reagent/catalyst. Moreover, the allyl thiosulfonates were successfully transformed into a set of two synthetically viable diallyl disulfanes and unsymmetrical allyl disulfanes in the presence of Cs₂CO₃. The present protocols are operationally simple and convenient to generate a wide range of functionalized allyl thiosulfonates and allyl disulfanes in good to excellent yields.

A practical, highly efficient and eco-friendly method for synthesis of multifunctional allyl thiosulfonates and allyl disulfanes is reported under mild reaction conditions.

Protecting group free synthesis of glycosyl thiols from reducing sugars in water; application to the production of N-glycan glycoconjugates

Un-protected 2-acetamido terminated reducing sugars may be converted into the corresponding glycosyl thiols in water, and conjugated to peptides using the thiol–ene click reaction without recourse to any protecting groups.

Direct aqueous synthesis of cyanomethyl thioglycosides from reducing sugars; ready access to reagents for protein glycosylation

Unprotected carbohydrates can be directly converted into cyanooethyl thioglycosides, which in turn may be used for protein glycosylation, in a completely stereoselective manner by reaction with 2-chloro-1,3-dimethylimidazolinium chloride (DMC) and mercaptoacetonitrile in aqueous solution.

Developments and recent advancements in the field of endogenous amino acid selective bond forming reactions for bioconjugation

Bioconjugation methodologies have proven to play a central enabling role in the recent development of biotherapeutics and chemical biology approaches. Recent endeavours in these fields shed light on unprecedented chemical challenges to attain bioselectivity, biocompatibility, and biostability required by modern applications. In this review the current developments in various techniques of selective bond forming reactions of proteins and peptides were highlighted. The utility of each endogenous amino acid-selective conjugation methodology in the fields of biology and protein science has been surveyed with emphasis on the most relevant among reported transformations; selectivity and practical use have been discussed.

Selective chemical protein modification

Chemical modification of proteins is an important tool for probing natural systems, creating therapeutic conjugates and generating novel protein constructs. Site-selective reactions require exquisite control over both chemo- and regioselectivity, under ambient, aqueous conditions. There are now various methods for achieving selective modification of both natural and unnatural amino acids--each with merits and limitations--providing a 'toolkit' that until 20 years ago was largely limited to reactions at nucleophilic cysteine and lysine residues. If applied in a biologically benign manner, this chemistry could form the basis of true Synthetic Biology.

Chemoenzymatic Fc glycosylation via engineered aldehyde tags

Glycoproteins with chemically defined glycosylation sites and structures are important biopharmaceutical targets and critical tools for glycobiology. One approach toward constructing such molecules involves chemical glycosylation of aldehyde-tagged proteins. Here, we report the installation of a genetically encoded aldehyde tag at the internal glycosylation site of the crystallizable fragment (Fc) of IgG1. We replaced the natural Fc N-glycosylation sequon with a five amino-acid sequence that was efficiently converted by recombinant formylglycine generating enzyme in vitro, thereby introducing aldehyde groups for subsequent chemical elaboration. Oxime-linked glycoconjugates were synthesized by conjugating aminooxy N-acetylglucosamine to the modified Fc followed by enzymatic transfer of complex N-glycans from corresponding glycan oxazolines by an EndoS-derived glycosynthase. In this manner we generated specific Fc glycoforms without relying on natural protein glycosylation machineries.

Thiol–Thiosulfonate Chemistry in Polymer Science: Simple Functionalization of Polymers via Disulfide Linkages

Herein we highlight the reaction of thiols with thiosulfonates yielding asymmetric disulfides. The chapter begins with an overview of the synthesis and reactivity of functional thiosulfonates and is followed by a review of polymeric thiosulfonates. We then emphasize the novel use of thiosulfonates as trapping/functionalization agents for macromolecular thiols obtained from parent (co)polymers prepared by reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) radical polymerization. We also note how such facile disulfide‐forming chemistries can be readily employed simultaneously with other highly efficient coupling chemistries with an emphasis on the concurrent reaction of activated esters with amines in the presence of thiosulfonates. Finally, we discuss the use of methyl disulfide (SSMe) functional/end‐modified (co)polymers as reagents for the formation of polymeric self‐assembled monolayers (polymer brushes) on metal surfaces such as nanoparticles and quantum dots.

A "tag-and-modify" approach to site-selective protein modification

Covalent modification can expand a protein's functional capacity. Fluorescent or radioactive labeling, for instance, allows imaging of a protein in real time. Labeling with an affinity probe enables isolation of target proteins and other interacting molecules. At the other end of this functional spectrum, protein structures can be naturally altered by enzymatic action. Protein-protein interactions, genetic regulation, and a range of cellular processes are under the purview of these post-translational modifications. The ability of protein chemists to install these covalent additions selectively has been critical for elucidating their roles in biology. Frequently the transformations must be applied in a site-specific manner, which demands the most selective chemistry. In this Account, we discuss the development and application of such chemistry in our laboratory. A centerpiece of our strategy is a "tag-and-modify" approach, which entails sequential installation of a uniquely reactive chemical group into the protein (the "tag") and the selective or specific modification of this group. The chemical tag can be a natural or unnatural amino acid residue. Of the natural residues, cysteine is the most widely used as a tag. Early work in our program focused on selective disulfide formation in the synthesis of glycoproteins. For certain applications, the susceptibility of disulfides to reduction was a limitation and prompted the development of several methods for the synthesis of more stable thioether modifications. The desulfurization of disulfides and conjugate addition to dehydroalanine are two routes to these modifications. The dehydroalanine tag has since proven useful as a general precursor to many modifications after conjugate addition of various nucleophiles; phosphorylated, glycosylated, peptidylated, prenylated, and even mimics of methylated and acetylated lysine-containing proteins are all accessible from dehydroalanine. While cysteine is a useful tag for selective modification, unnatural residues present the opportunity for bio-orthogonal chemistry. Azide-, arylhalide-, alkyne-, and alkene-containing amino acids can be incorporated into proteins genetically and can be specifically modified through various transformations. These transformations often rely on metal catalysis. The Cu-catalyzed azide-alkyne addition, Ru-catalyzed olefin metathesis, and Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling are examples of such transformations. In the course of adapting these reactions to protein modification, we learned much about the behavior of these reactions in water, and in some cases entirely new catalysts were developed. Through a combination of these bio-orthogonal transformations from the panel of tag-and-modify reactions, multiple and distinct modifications can be installed on protein surfaces. Multiple modifications are common in natural systems, and synthetic access to these proteins has enabled study of their biological role. Throughout these investigations, much has been learned in chemistry and biology. The demands of selective protein modification have revealed many aspects of reaction mechanisms, which in turn have guided the design of reagents and catalysts that allow their successful deployment in water and in biological milieu. With this ability to modify proteins, it is now possible to interrogate biological systems with precision that was not previously possible.

Chemical modification of proteins at cysteine: opportunities in chemistry and biology

Chemical modification of proteins is a rapidly expanding area in chemical biology. Selective installation of biochemical probes has led to a better understanding of natural protein modification and macromolecular function. In other cases such chemical alterations have changed the protein function entirely. Additionally, tethering therapeutic cargo to proteins has proven invaluable in campaigns against disease. For controlled, selective access to such modified proteins, a unique chemical handle is required. Cysteine, with its unique reactivity, has long been used for such modifications. Cysteine has enjoyed widespread use in selective protein modification, yet new applications and even new reactions continue to emerge. This Focus Review highlights the enduring utility of cysteine in protein modification with special focus on recent innovations in chemistry and biology associated with such modifications.

Sugars and proteins: New strategies in synthetic biology

The development of novel methodology for bond-forming processes that are compatible with biomolecules allows the assembly, alteration, or modification of proteins. Such synthetic proteins allow precise insight and investigation of function in a manner that has the potential for almost unlimited diversity.

Synthesis of neoglycoconjugates by the desulfurative rearrangement of allylic disulfides

Two series of neoglycosyl donors are prepared on the basis of connection of an allylic disulfide motif to the anomeric center via a simple O-glycosyl linkage or N-glycosyl amide unit. Conjugation of both sets of donors to cysteine in peptides is demonstrated through classical disulfide exchange followed by the phosphine-mediated desulfurative allylic rearrangement resulting in neoglycopeptides characterized by a simple thioether spacer. The conjugation reaction functions in the absence of protecting groups on both the neoglycosyl donor and peptide in aqueous media at room temperature.

Thiol chemistry in peroxidase catalysis and redox signaling

The oxidation chemistry of thiols and disulfides of biologic relevance is described. The review focuses on the interaction and kinetics of hydrogen peroxide with low-molecular-weight thiols and protein thiols and, in particular, on sulfenic acid groups, which are recognized as key intermediates in several thiol oxidation processes. In particular, sulfenic and selenenic acids are formed during the catalytic cycle of peroxiredoxins and glutathione peroxidases, respectively. In turn, these enzymes are in close redox communication with the thioredoxin and glutathione systems, which are the major controllers of the thiol redox state. Oxidants formed in the cell originate from several different sources, but the major producers are NADPH oxidases and mitochondria. However, a different role of the oxygen species produced by these sources is apparent as oxidants derived from NADPH oxidase are involved mainly in signaling processes, whereas those produced by mitochondria induce cell death in pathways including also the thioredoxin system, presently considered an important target for cancer chemotherapy.