Automated chemoenzymatic modular synthesis of human milk oligosaccharides on a digital microfluidic platform

Glycans, along with proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids, constitute the four fundamental classes of biomacromolecules found in living organisms. Generally, glycans are attached to proteins or lipids to form glycoconjugates that perform critical roles in various biological processes. Automatic synthesis of glycans is essential for investigation into structure-function relationships of glycans. In this study, we presented a method that integrated magnetic bead-based manipulation and modular chemoenzymatic synthesis of human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), on a DMF (Digital Microfluidics) platform. On the DMF platform, enzymatic modular reactions were conducted in solution, and purification of products or intermediates was achieved by using DEAE magnetic beads, circumventing the intricate steps required for traditional solid-phase synthesis. With this approach, we have successfully synthesized eleven HMOs with highest yields of up to >90% on the DMF platform. This study would not only lay the foundation for OPME synthesis of glycans on the DMF platform, but also set the stage for developing automated enzymatic glycan synthesizers based on the DMF platform.

Chemical Evolution of Enzyme-Catalyzed Glycosylation

ConspectusThe limited availability of structurally well-defined diverse glycans remains a major obstacle for deciphering biological functions as well as biomedical applications of carbohydrates. Despite tremendous progress that has been made in past decades, the synthesis of structurally well-defined complex glycans still represents one of the most challenging topics in synthetic chemistry. Chemical synthesis of glycans is a time-consuming and labor-intensive process that requires elaborate planning and skilled personnel. In contrast, glycosyltransferase-catalyzed enzymatic synthesis provides a more efficient, convenient, low-cost, and sustainable alternative to affording diverse and complex glycans. However, the existing methods are still insufficient to fulfill the increasing demand for specific synthetic glycan libraries necessary for functional glycomics research. This is mainly attributed to the inherent character of the glycan biosynthetic pathway. In nature, there are too many glycosyltransferases involved in the in vivo glycan synthesis, but only a small number of them are available for in vitro enzymatic synthesis. For instance, humans have over 200 glycosyltransferases, but only a few of them could be produced from the conventional bacterial expression system, and most of these membrane-associated enzymes could be overexpressed only in eukaryotic cells. Moreover, the glycan biosynthetic pathway is a nontemplate-driven process, which eventually ends up with heterogeneous glycan product mixtures. Therefore, it is not a practical solution for the in vitro enzymatic synthesis of complex glycans by simply copying the glycan biosynthetic pathway.In the past decade, we have tried to develop a simplified and transformable approach to the enzymatic modular assembly of a human glycan library. Despite the structural complexity of human glycans, the glycoinformatic analysis based on the known glycan structure database and the human glycosyltransferase database indicates that there are approximately 56 disaccharide patterns present in the human glycome and only 16 disaccharide linkages are required to account for over 80% of the total disaccharide fragments, while 35 disaccharide linkages are sufficient to cover over 95% of all disaccharide fragments of human glycome. Regardless of the substrate specificity, if one glycosyltransferase could be used for the synthesis of all of the same glycosidic linkages in human glycome, it will require only a few dozen glycosyltransferases for the assembly of entire human glycans. According to the glycobioinformatics analysis results, we rationally designed about two dozen enzyme modules for the synthesis of over 20 common glycosidic linkages in human glycome, in which each enzyme module contains a glycosyltransferase and a group of enzymes for the in situ generation of a nucleotide-activated sugar donor. By sequential glycosylation using orchestrated enzyme modules, we have completed the synthesis of over 200 structurally well-defined complex human glycans including blood group antigens, O-mannosyl glycans, human milk oligosaccharides, and others. To overcome the product microheterogeneity problem of enzymatic synthesis in the nontemplate-driven glycan biosynthetic pathway, we developed several substrate engineering strategies to control or manipulate the outcome of glycosyltransferase-catalyzed reactions for the precise synthesis of structurally well-defined isomeric complex glycans.

Human Milk Oligosaccharides: A Critical Review on Structure, Preparation, Their Potential as a Food Bioactive Component, and Future Perspectives

Human milk is the gold standard for infant feeding. Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are a unique group of oligosaccharides in human milk. Great interest in HMOs has grown in recent years due to their positive effects on various aspects of infant health. HMOs provide various physiologic functions, including establishing a balanced infant's gut microbiota, strengthening the gastrointestinal barrier, preventing infections, and potential support to the immune system. However, the clinical application of HMOs is challenging due to their specificity to human milk and the difficulties and high costs associated with their isolation and synthesis. Here, the differences in oligosaccharides in human and other mammalian milk are compared, and the synthetic strategies to access HMOs are summarized. Additionally, the potential use and molecular mechanisms of HMOs as a new food bioactive component in different diseases, such as infection, necrotizing enterocolitis, diabetes, and allergy, are critically reviewed. Finally, the current challenges and prospects of HMOs in basic research and application are discussed.

Utilization of glycosyltransferases as a seamless tool for synthesis and modification of the oligosaccharides-A review

Glycosyltransferases (GTs) catalyze the transfer of active monosaccharide donors to carbohydrates to create a wide range of oligosaccharide structures. GTs display strong regioselectivity and stereoselectivity in producing glycosidic bonds, making them extremely valuable in the in vitro synthesis of oligosaccharides. The synthesis of oligosaccharides by GTs often gives high yields; however, the enzyme activity may experience product inhibition. Additionally, the higher cost of nucleotide sugars limits the usage of GTs for oligosaccharide synthesis. In this review, we comprehensively discussed the structure and mechanism of GTs based on recent literature and the CAZY website data. To provide innovative ideas for the functional studies of GTs, we summarized several remarkable characteristics of GTs, including folding, substrate specificity, regioselectivity, donor sugar nucleotides, catalytic reversibility, and differences between GTs and GHs. In particular, we highlighted the recent advancements in multi-enzyme cascade reactions and co-immobilization of GTs, focusing on overcoming problems with product inhibition and cost issues. Finally, we presented various types of GT that have been successfully used for oligosaccharide synthesis. We concluded that there is still an opportunity for improvement in enzymatically produced oligosaccharide yield, and future research should focus on improving the yield and reducing the production cost.

An Overview of Sugar Nucleotide-Dependent Glycosyltransferases for Human Milk Oligosaccharide Synthesis

Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) have received increasing attention because of their special effects on infant health and commercial value as the new generation of core components in infant formula. Currently, large-scale production of HMOs is generally based on microbial synthesis using metabolically engineered cell factories. Introduction of the specific glycosyltransferases is essential for the construction of HMO-producing engineered strains in which the HMO-producing glycosyltransferases are generally sugar nucleotide-dependent. Four types of glycosyltransferases have been used for typical glycosylation reactions to synthesize HMOs. Soluble expression, substrate specificity, and regioselectivity are common concerns of these glycosyltransferases in practical applications. Screening of specific glycosyltransferases is an important research topic to solve these problems. Molecular modification has also been performed to enhance the catalytic activity of various HMO-producing glycosyltransferases and to improve the substrate specificity and regioselectivity. In this article, various sugar nucleotide-dependent glycosyltransferases for HMO synthesis were overviewed, common concerns of these glycosyltransferases were described, and the future perspectives of glycosyltransferase-related studies were provided.

High-Level Productivity of Lacto-N-neotetraose in Escherichia coli by Systematic Metabolic Engineering

Lacto-N-neotetraose (LNnT) is a critical component of human milk oligosaccharides. This study introduces a systems metabolic engineering method to produce LNnT in Escherichia coli. First, 12 target genes contributing to LNnT production were identified using a double-plasmid system. Subsequently, combinatorial optimization of the copy number was performed to tune the target gene expression strength. Next, the CRISPR/Cas9 system was used to block the UDP-Gal and UDP-GlcNAc competitive pathways, and the titer of LNnT reached 1.16 g/L (E27). Moreover, the lactoylglutathione lyase (GloA) was deleted to block the competing metabolite pathway from glycerol to lactate, and the titer of LNnT (1.46 g/L) was 26% higher than that of strain E27. Finally, the LNnT productivity was increased to 0.34 g/L/h in a 3 L bioreactor, which was 36% higher than the recently reported LNnT productivity. This research work opens an innovative framework for the effective production of LNnT.

Biosynthesis of Human Milk Oligosaccharides: Enzyme Cascade and Metabolic Engineering Approaches

Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) have unique beneficial effects for infants and are considered as the new gold standard for premium infant formula. They are a collection of unconjugated glycans, and more than 200 distinct structures have been identified. Generally, HMOs are enzymatically produced by elongation and/or modification from lactose via stepwise glycosylation. Each glycosylation requires a specific glycosyltransferase (GT) and the corresponding nucleotide sugar donor. In this review, the typical HMO-producing GTs and the one-pot multienzyme modules for generating various nucleotide sugar donors are introduced, the principles for designing the enzyme cascade routes for HMO synthesis are described, and the important metabolic engineering strategies for mass production of HMOs are also reviewed. In addition, the future research directions in biotechnological production of HMOs were prospected.

Specific Human Milk Oligosaccharides Differentially Promote Th1 and Regulatory Responses in a CpG-Activated Epithelial/Immune Cell Coculture

Proper early life immune development creates a basis for a healthy and resilient immune system, which balances immune tolerance and activation. Deviations in neonatal immune maturation can have life-long effects, such as development of allergic diseases. Evidence suggests that human milk oligosaccharides (HMOS) possess immunomodulatory properties essential for neonatal immune maturation. To understand the immunomodulatory properties of enzymatic or bacterial produced HMOS, the effects of five HMOS (2'FL, 3FL, 3'SL, 6'SL and LNnT), present in human milk have been studied. A PBMC immune model, the IEC barrier model and IEC/PBMC transwell coculture models were used, representing critical steps in mucosal immune development. HMOS were applied to IEC cocultured with activated PBMC. In the presence of CpG, 2'FL and 3FL enhanced IFNγ (p < 0.01), IL10 (p < 0.0001) and galectin-9 (p < 0.001) secretion when added to IEC; 2'FL and 3FL decreased Th2 cell development while 3FL enhanced Treg polarization (p < 0.05). IEC were required for this 3FL mediated Treg polarization, which was not explained by epithelial-derived galectin-9, TGFβ nor retinoic acid secretion. The most pronounced immunomodulatory effects, linking to enhanced type 1 and regulatory mediator secretion, were observed for 2'FL and 3FL. Future studies are needed to further understand the complex interplay between HMO and early life mucosal immune development.

Sialic acid and food allergies: The link between nutrition and immunology

Food allergies (FA), a major public health problem recognized by the World Health Organization, affect an estimated 3%-10% of adults and 8% of children worldwide. However, effective treatments for FA are still lacking. Recent advances in glycoimmunology have demonstrated the great potential of sialic acids (SAs) in the treatment of FA. SAs are a group of nine-carbon α-ketoacids usually linked to glycoproteins and glycolipids as terminal glycans. They play an essential role in modulating immune responses and may be an effective target for FA intervention. As exogenous food components, sialylated polysaccharides have anti-FA effects. In contrast, as endogenous components, SAs on immunoglobulin E and immune cell surfaces contribute to the pathogenesis of FA. Given the lack of comprehensive information on the effects of SAs on FA, we reviewed the roles of endogenous and exogenous SAs in the pathogenesis and treatment of FA. In addition, we considered the structure-function relationship of SAs to provide a theoretical basis for the development of SA-based FA treatments.

Recent Advances on Lacto-N-neotetraose, a Commercially Added Human Milk Oligosaccharide in Infant Formula

Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) act as the important prebiotics and display many unique health effects for infants. Lacto-N-neotetraose (LNnT), an abundant HMO, attracts increasing attention because of its unique beneficial effects to infants and great commercial importance. It occurs in all groups of human milk, but the concentration generally decreases gradually with the lactation period. It has superior prebiotic property for infants, and its other health effects have also been verified, including being immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, preventing necrotizing enterocolitis, antiadhesive antimicrobials, antiviral activity, and promoting maturation of intestinal epithelial cells. Safety evaluation and clinical trial studies suggest that LNnT is safe and well-tolerant for infants. It has been commercially added as a functional ingredient in infant formula. LNnT can be synthesized via chemical, enzymatic, or cell factory approachs, among which the metabolic engineering-based cell factory synthesis is considered to be the most practical and effective. In this article, the occurrence and physiological effects of LNnT were reviewed in detail, the safety evaluation and regulation status of LNnT were described, various approaches to LNnT synthesis were comprehensively summarized and compared, and the future perspectives of LNnT-related studies were provided.

Glycan Assembly Strategy: From Concept to Application

Glycans have been hot topics in recent years due to their exhibition of numerous biological activities. However, the heterogeneity of their natural source and the complexity of their chemical synthesis impede the progress in their biological research. Thus, the development of glycan assembly strategies to acquire plenty of structurally well-defined glycans is an important issue in carbohydrate chemistry. In this review, the latest advances in glycan assembly strategies from concepts to their applications in carbohydrate synthesis, including chemical and enzymatic/chemo-enzymatic approaches, as well as solution-phase and solid-phase/tag-assisted synthesis, are summarized. Furthermore, the automated glycan assembly techniques are also outlined.

Efficient biosynthesis of lacto-N-neotetraose by a novel β-1,4-galactosyltransferase from Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans NUM4039

Lacto-N-neotetraose (LNnT) is a unique tetrasaccharide naturally occurring in human milk, as an important member of human milk oligosaccharides. Because of promising beneficial effects, it has been commercially added as a functional fortifier in infant formula. β-1,4-Galactosyltransferase (β-1,4-GalT) catalyzes LNnT biosynthesis from uridine 5'-diphospho-galactose (UDP-Gal) to lacto-N-triose II (LNT II). There have been only two LNnT-producing bacterial β-1,4-GalTs, including the ones from Neisseria meningitidis and Histophilus somni. In this study, a novel LNnT-producing β-1,4-GalT was identified from Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans. The enzyme was easily overexpressed in E. coli in soluble form. It displayed much higher transglycosylation versus hydrolysis activity, indicating its great potential in LNnT biosynthesis. The enzyme produced 13 mM LNnT from 20 mM LNT II and 60 mM UDP-Gal, with the yield of 65 % on LNT II and very low level of UDP-Gal hydrolysis. Therefore, it could be considered as a good candidate for the practical LNnT production.

Physiological effects, biosynthesis, and derivatization of key human milk tetrasaccharides, lacto-N-tetraose, and lacto-N-neotetraose

Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) have recently attracted ever-increasing interest because of their versatile physiological functions. In HMOs, two tetrasaccharides, lacto-N-tetraose (LNT) and lacto-N-neotetraose (LNnT), constitute the essential components, each accounting 6% (w/w) of total HMOs. Also, they serve as core structures for fucosylation and sialylation, generating functional derivatives and elongation generating longer chains of core structures. LNT, LNnT, and their fucosylated and/or sialylated derivatives account for more than 30% (w/w) of total HMOs. For derivatization, LNT and LNnT can be modified into a series of complex fucosylated and/or sialylated HMOs by transferring fucose residues at α1,2-, α1,3-, and α1,3/4-linkage and/or sialic acid residues at α2,3- and α2,6-linkage. Such structural diversity allows these HMOs to possess great commercial value and an application potential in the food and pharmaceutical industries. In this review, we first elaborate the physiological functions of these tetrasaccharides and derivatives. Next, we extensively review recent developments in the biosynthesis of LNT, LNnT, and their derivatives in vitro and in vivo by employing advanced enzymatic reaction systems and metabolic engineering strategies. Finally, future perspectives in the synthesis of these HMOs using enzymatic and metabolic engineering approaches are presented.

A Novel β-1,4-Galactosyltransferase from Histophilus somni Enables Efficient Biosynthesis of Lacto-N-Neotetraose via Both Enzymatic and Cell Factory Approaches

Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) attract particular attention because of their health benefits for infants. Lacto-N-neotetraose (LNnT) is one of the most abundant neutral core structures of HMOs. Bacterial β-1,4-galactosyltransferase (β-1,4-GalT) displays an irreplaceable role in the practical application of LNnT biosynthesis. In this study, a novel β-1,4-GalT from Histophilus somni was identified to efficiently synthesize LNnT from UDP-Gal and lacto-N-triose II (LNT II). The optimum pH and temperature were determined to be pH 6.0 and 30 °C, respectively. The enzyme showed both transgalactosylation and hydrolysis activity, with a specific activity of 3.7 and 6.6 U/mg, respectively. LNnT was synthesized using H. somni β-1,4-GalT via both enzymatic and cell factory approaches, and both approaches provided an LNnT ratio with the remaining LNT II at approximately 1:2 when reactions attained a balance. These findings indicated that H. somni β-1,4-GalT has a potential in biosynthesis of LNnT and derivatives in future.

A Comparison of Two Structurally Related Human Milk Oligosaccharide Conjugates in a Model of Diet-Induced Obesity

Obesity is the largest risk factor for the development of chronic diseases in industrialized countries. Excessive fat accumulation triggers a state of chronic low-grade inflammation to the detriment of numerous organs. To address this problem, our lab has been examining the anti-inflammatory mechanisms of two human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), lacto-N-fucopentaose III (LNFPIII) and lacto-N-neotetraose (LNnT). LNFPIII and LNnT are HMOs that differ in structure via presence/absence of an α1,3-linked fucose. We utilize LNFPIII and LNnT in conjugate form, where 10-12 molecules of LNFPIII or LNnT are conjugated to a 40 kDa dextran carrier (P3DEX/NTDEX). Previous studies from our lab have shown that LNFPIII conjugates are anti-inflammatory, act on multiple cell types, and are therapeutic in a wide range of murine inflammatory disease models. The α1,3-linked fucose residue on LNFPIII makes it difficult and more expensive to synthesize. Therefore, we asked if LNnT conjugates induced similar therapeutic effects to LNFPIII. Herein, we compare the therapeutic effects of P3DEX and NTDEX in a model of diet-induced obesity (DIO). Male C57BL/6 mice were placed on a high-fat diet for six weeks and then injected twice per week for eight weeks with 25µg of 40 kDa dextran (DEX; vehicle control), P3DEX, or NTDEX. We found that treatment with P3DEX, but not NTDEX, led to reductions in body weight, adipose tissue (AT) weights, and fasting blood glucose levels. Mice treated with P3DEX also demonstrated improvements in glucose homeostasis and insulin tolerance. Treatment with P3DEX or NTDEX also induced different profiles of serum chemokines, cytokines, adipokines, and incretin hormones, with P3DEX notably reducing circulating levels of leptin and resistin. P3DEX also reduced WAT inflammation and hepatic lipid accumulation, whereas NTDEX seemed to worsen these parameters. These results suggest that the small structural difference between P3DEX and NTDEX has significant effects on the conjugates' therapeutic abilities. Future work will focus on identifying the receptors for these conjugates and delineating the mechanisms by which P3DEX and NTDEX exert their effects.

Streamlined Subclass-Specific Absolute Quantification of Serum IgG Glycopeptides Using Synthetic Isotope-Labeled Standards

Absolute glycoproteomics quantification has drawn tremendous attention owing to its prospects in biomarker discovery and clinical implementation but is impeded by a general lack of suitable heavy isotope-labeled glycopeptide standards. In this study, we devised a facile chemoenzymatic strategy to synthesize a total of 36 human IgG glycopeptides attached with well-defined glycoforms, including 15 isotope-labeled ones with a mass increment of 6 Da to their native counterparts. Spiking of these standards into human sera enabled simplified, robust, and precise absolute quantification of IgG glycopeptides in a subclass-specific fashion. Additionally, the implementation of the absolute quantification approach revealed subclass-dependent alteration of serum IgG galactosylation and sialylation in colon cancer samples.

Effect of the lactose source on the ultrasound-assisted enzymatic production of galactooligosaccharides and gluconic acid

It is well known that one of the main problems in galactooligosaccharide production (GOS) via tranglycosylation of lactose is the presence of monosaccharides that contribute to increasing the glycaemic index, as is the case of glucose. In this work, as well as studying the effect of ultrasound (US) on glucose oxidase (Gox) activation during gluconic acid (GA) production, we have carried out an investigation into the selective oxidation of glucose to gluconic acid in multienzymatic reactions (β-galactosidase (β-gal) and Gox) assisted by power US using different sources of lactose as substrate (lactose solution, whey permeate, cheese whey). In terms of the influence of matrix on GOS and GA production, lactose solution gave the best results, followed by cheese whey and whey permeate, salt composition being the most influential factor. The highest yields of GOS production with the lowest glucose concentration and highest GA production were obtained with lactose solution in multienzymatic systems in the presence of ultrasound (30% amplitude) when Gox was added after 1 h of treatment with β-gal. This work demonstrates the ability of US to enhance efficiently the obtainment of prebiotic mixtures of low glycaemic index.

Screening and characterization of an α-L-fucosidase from Bacteroides fragilis NCTC9343 for synthesis of fucosyl-N-acetylglucosamine disaccharides

Fucosyl-N-acetylglucosamine disaccharides are present in many biologically important oligosaccharides, such as human milk oligosaccharides, Lewis carbohydrate antigens, and glycans on cell-surface glycoconjugate receptors, and thus have vast potential for infant formulas, prebiotics, and pharmaceutical applications. In this work, in order to screen biocatalysts for enzymatic synthesis of fucosyl-N-acetylglucosamine disaccharides, we performed sequence analysis of 12 putative and one known α-L-fucosidases of Bacteroides fragilis NCTC9343 and constructed a phylogenetic tree of the nine GH29 α-L-fucosidases. After that, five GH29A α-L-fucosidases were cloned, and four of them were successfully heterogeneous expressed and screened for transglycosylation activity, and a GH29A α-L-fucosidase (BF3242) that synthesized a mix of Fuc-α-1,3/1,6-GlcNAc disaccharides using pNPαFuc as donor and GlcNAc as acceptor was characterized. The effects of initial substrate concentration, pH, temperature, and reaction time on its transglycosylation activity were studied in detail. Under the optimum conditions of 0.05 U/mL enzyme, 20 mM pNPαFuc, and 500 mM GlcNAc in sodium buffer (pH 7.5) at 37 °C for 45 min, BF3242 efficiently synthesized Fuc-α-1,3/1,6-GlcNAc at a maximum yield of 79.0% with the ratio of 0.48 for 1,3/1,6. The molecular dynamics simulation analysis revealed that Loop-4 (His220-Ser245) in the putative 3D model of BF3242 displayed significant changes throughout the thermal simulations, might being responsible for the changes in the ratio of two regioisomeric products at different temperatures. This work provided not only a potential synthetic tool for enzymatic synthesis of fucosyl-N-acetylglucosamine disaccharides but also a possibility for the formation of regioisomeric products in glycosidase-catalyzed transglycosylation. KEY POINTS: • Sequence analysis of α-L-fucosidases of Bacteroides fragilis NCTC9343 • Obtainment of an α-L-fucosidase with high transglycosylation activity • Explanation why temperature affected the ratio of two regioisomeric products.

Enzymatic modular synthesis and microarray assay of poly-N-acetyllactosamine derivatives

A facile enzymatic modular assembly strategy for the preparative-scale synthesis of poly-N-acetyllactosamine (poly-LacNAc) glycans with varied lengths and designed sialylation and/or fucosylation patterns is described. These glycans were printed as a microarray to investigate their interactions with a panel of glycan binding proteins (GBPs). Binding affinities revealed that the avidity of GBPs could be largely affected by the length and the patterns of sialylation and fucosylation.

Immunomodulation by Human Milk Oligosaccharides: The Potential Role in Prevention of Allergic Diseases

The prevalence and incidence of allergic diseases is rising and these diseases have become the most common chronic diseases during childhood in Westernized countries. Early life forms a critical window predisposing for health or disease. Therefore, this can also be a window of opportunity for allergy prevention. Postnatally the gut needs to mature, and the microbiome is built which further drives the training of infant's immune system. Immunomodulatory components in breastmilk protect the infant in this crucial period by; providing nutrients that contain substrates for the microbiome, supporting intestinal barrier function, protecting against pathogenic infections, enhancing immune development and facilitating immune tolerance. The presence of a diverse human milk oligosaccharide (HMOS) mixture, containing several types of functional groups, points to engagement in several mechanisms related to immune and microbiome maturation in the infant's gastrointestinal tract. In recent years, several pathways impacted by HMOS have been elucidated, including their capacity to; fortify the microbiome composition, enhance production of short chain fatty acids, bind directly to pathogens and interact directly with the intestinal epithelium and immune cells. The exact mechanisms underlying the immune protective effects have not been fully elucidated yet. We hypothesize that HMOS may be involved in and can be utilized to provide protection from developing allergic diseases at a young age. In this review, we highlight several pathways involved in the immunomodulatory effects of HMOS and the potential role in prevention of allergic diseases. Recent studies have proposed possible mechanisms through which HMOS may contribute, either directly or indirectly, via microbiome modification, to induce oral tolerance. Future research should focus on the identification of specific pathways by which individual HMOS structures exert protective actions and thereby contribute to the capacity of the authentic HMOS mixture in early life allergy prevention.

CRISPRi-Guided Multiplexed Fine-Tuning of Metabolic Flux for Enhanced Lacto-N-neotetraose Production in Bacillus subtilis

Lacto-N-neotetraose (LNnT), one of the oligosaccharides in human milk, has many beneficial effects on infant health. In a recent work, we have constructed a recombinant Bacillus subtilis strain for the production of LNnT. Here, we further improved LNnT production with a xylose-induced clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats interference system. In particular, the expressions of pfkA and pyk genes in the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway module, zwf gene in the pentose phosphate pathway module, and mnaA gene in the teichoic acid synthesis module were downregulated. The LNnT titer was increased from 1.32 to 1.55 g/L. Furthermore, to improve the conversion efficiency of lacto-N-triose II to LNnT, we knocked out tuaD gene in branch pathway and improved the expression of lgtB gene, resulting in the further increase of LNnT titer to 2.01 g/L. Finally, the addition time and amount of inducer xylose were optimized, and LNnT titer reached 2.30 g/L in shake flask and 5.41 g/L in 3 L bioreactor.

Prebiotics: tools to manipulate the gut microbiome and metabolome

The human gut is an ecosystem comprising trillions of microbes interacting with the host. The composition of the microbiota and their interactions play roles in different biological processes and in the development of human diseases. Close relationships between dietary modifications, microbiota composition and health status have been established. This review focuses on prebiotics, or compounds which selectively encourage the growth of beneficial bacteria, their mechanisms of action and benefits to human hosts. We also review advances in synthesis technology for human milk oligosaccharides, part of one of the most well-characterized prebiotic–probiotic relationships. Current and future research in this area points to greater use of prebiotics as tools to manipulate the microbial and metabolic diversity of the gut for the benefit of human health.

The chemical synthesis of human milk oligosaccharides: Lacto-N-neotetraose (Galβ1→4GlcNAcβ1→3Galβ1→4Glc)

The discovery of innovative methods that offer new capabilities for obtaining individual oligosaccharides from human milk will help to improve understanding their roles and boost practical applications. The total chemical synthesis of lacto-N-neotetraose (LNnT) has been completed using both linear and convergent strategies. The donor and acceptor protecting and leaving group combinations were found to be of paramount significance to successful couplings.

Biochemical characterization of Helicobacter pylori α1-3-fucosyltransferase and its application in the synthesis of fucosylated human milk oligosaccharides

Fucosylated human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) have important biological functions. Enzymatic synthesis of such compounds requires robust fucosyltransferases. A C-terminal 66-amino acid truncated version of Helicobacter pylori α1-3-fucosyltransferase (Hp3FT) is a good candidate. Hp3FT was biochemically characterized to identify optimal conditions for enzymatic synthesis of fucosides. While N-acetyllactosamine (LacNAc) and lactose were both suitable acceptors, the former is preferred. At a low guanosine 5'-diphospho-β-L-fucose (GDP-Fuc) to acceptor ratio, Hp3FT selectively fucosylated LacNAc. Based on these enzymatic characteristics, diverse fucosylated HMOs, including 3-fucosyllactose (3-FL), lacto-N-fucopentaose (LNFP) III, lacto-N-neofucopentaose (LNnFP) V, lacto-N-neodifucohexaose (LNnDFH) II, difuco- and trifuco-para-lacto-N-neohexaose (DF-paraLNnH and TF-para-LNnH), were synthesized enzymatically by varying the ratio of the donor and acceptor as well as controlling the order of multiple glycosyltransferase-catalyzed reactions.

Sialylated variants of lacto-N-tetraose exhibit antimicrobial activity against Group B Streptococcus

Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) possess antimicrobial activity against a number of bacterial pathogens. HMOs prevent infection by serving as decoy receptors that competitively bind pathogens thus preventing pathogen attachment to host epithelial cell receptors. In a second mechanistic pathway, we recently demonstrated that heterogenous HMO extracts exert antimicrobial action against Group B Streptococcus by increasing cellular permeability. As human milk contains ca. 200 unique glycans however, our understanding of which pharmacophores are most important to HMO antimicrobial activity remains immature. In the present study, we describe the first evaluation of the antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities of five structurally defined, ubiquitous sialylated HMOs against Group B Streptococcus.

Redox-Controlled Site-Specific α2-6-Sialylation

The first bacterial α2-6-sialyltransferase cloned from Photobacterium damselae (Pd2,6ST) has been widely applied for the synthesis of various α2-6-linked sialosides. However, the extreme substrate flexibility of Pd2,6ST makes it unsuitable for site-specific α2-6-sialylation of complex substrates containing multiple galactose and/or N-acetylgalactosamine units. To tackle this problem, a general redox-controlled site-specific sialylation strategy using Pd2,6ST is described. This approach features site-specific enzymatic oxidation of galactose units to mask the unwanted sialylation sites and precisely controlling the site-specific α2-6-sialylation at intact galactose or N-acetylgalactosamine units.

Shaping the Infant Microbiome With Non-digestible Carbohydrates

Natural polysaccharides with health benefits are characterized by a large structural diversity and differ in building blocks, linkages, and lengths. They contribute to human health by functioning as anti-adhesives preventing pathogen adhesion, stimulate immune maturation and gut barrier function, and serve as fermentable substrates for gut bacteria. Examples of such beneficial carbohydrates include the human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs). Also, specific non-digestible carbohydrates (NDCs), such as galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) and fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) are being produced with this purpose in mind, and are currently added to infant formula to stimulate the healthy development of the newborn. They mimic some functions of HMO, but not all. Therefore, many research efforts focus on identification and production of novel types of NDCs. In this review, we give an overview of the few NDCs currently available [GOS, FOS, polydextrose (PDX)], and outline the potential of alternative oligosaccharides, such as pectins, (arabino)xylo-oligosaccharides, and microbial exopolysaccharides (EPS). Moreover, state-of-the-art techniques to generate novel types of dietary glycans, including sialylated GOS (Sia-GOS) and galactosylated chitin, are presented as a way to obtain novel prebiotic NDCs that help shaping the infant microbiome.

Oligosaccharide Synthesis and Translational Innovation

The translation of biological glycosylation in humans to the clinical applications involves systematic studies using homogeneous samples of oligosaccharides and glycoconjugates, which could be accessed by chemical, enzymatic or other biological methods. However, the structural complexity and wide-range variations of glycans and their conjugates represent a major challenge in the synthesis of this class of biomolecules. To help navigate within many methods of oligosaccharide synthesis, this Perspective offers a critical assessment of the most promising synthetic strategies with an eye on the therapeutically relevant targets.

Biosynthesis of Raffinose and Stachyose from Sucrose via an In Vitro Multienzyme System

Herein, we present a biocatalytic method to produce raffinose and stachyose using sucrose as the substrate. An in vitro multienzyme system was developed using five enzymes, namely, sucrose synthase (SUS), UDP-glucose 4-epimerase (GalE), galactinol synthase (GS), raffinose synthase (RS), and stachyose synthase (STS), and two intermedia, namely, UDP and inositol, which can be recycled. This reaction system produced 11.1 mM raffinose using purified enzymes under optimal reaction conditions and substrate concentrations. Thereafter, a stepwise cascade reaction strategy was employed to circumvent the instability of RS and STS in this system, and a 4.2-fold increase in raffinose production was observed. The enzymatic cascade reactions were then conducted using cell extracts to avoid the need for enzyme purification and supplementation with UDP. Such modification further increased raffinose production to 86.6 mM and enabled the synthesis of 61.1 mM stachyose. The UDP turnover number reached 337. Finally, inositol in the reaction system was recycled five times, and 255.8 mM raffinose (128.9 g/liter) was obtained.IMPORTANCE Soybean oligosaccharides (SBOS) have elicited considerable attention because of their potential applications in the pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and food industries. This study demonstrates an alternative method to produce raffinose and stachyose, which are the major bioactive components of SBOS, from sucrose via an in vitro enzyme system. High concentrations of galactinol, raffinose, and stachyose were synthesized with the aid of a stepwise cascade reaction process, which can successfully address the issue of mismatched enzyme characteristics of an in vitro metabolic engineering platform. The biocatalytic approach presented in this work may enable the synthesis of other valuable galactosyl oligosaccharides, such as verbascose and higher homologs, which are difficult to obtain through plant extraction.

Modular pathway engineering of key precursor supply pathways for lacto-N-neotetraose production in Bacillus subtilis

BACKGROUND

Lacto-N-neotetraose (LNnT) is one of the important ingredients of human milk oligosaccharides, which can enhance immunity, regulate intestinal bacteria and promote cell maturation.

RESULTS

In this study, the synthetic pathway of LNnT was constructed by co-expressing the lactose permease (LacY) β-1,3-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase (LgtA) and β-1,4-galactostltransferase (LgtB) in Bacillus subtilis, resulting in an LNnT titer of 0.61 g/L. Then, by fine-tuning the expression level of LgtB, the growth inhibition was reduced and the LNnT titer was increased to 1.31 g/L. In addition, by modular pathway engineering, the positive-acting enzymes of the UDP-GlcNAc and UDP-Gal pathways were strengthened to balance the two key precursors supply, and the LNnT titer was improved to 1.95 g/L. Finally, the LNnT titer reached 4.52 g/L in a 3-L bioreactor with an optimal glucose and lactose feeding strategy.

CONCLUSIONS

In general, this study showed that the LNnT biosynthesis could be significantly increased by optimizing enzymes expression levels and modular pathway engineering for balancing the precursors supply in B. subtilis.

Strategies for chemoenzymatic synthesis of carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are structurally complex but functionally important biomolecules. Therefore, they have been challenging but attractive synthetic targets. While substantial progress has been made on advancing chemical glycosylation methods, incorporating enzymes into carbohydrate synthetic schemes has become increasingly practical as more carbohydrate biosynthetic and metabolic enzymes as well as their mutants with synthetic application are identified and expressed for preparative and large-scale synthesis. Chemoenzymatic strategies that integrate the flexibility of chemical derivatization with enzyme-catalyzed reactions have been extremely powerful. Briefly summarized here are our experiences on developing one-pot multienzyme (OPME) systems and representative chemoenzymatic strategies from others using glycosyltransferase-catalyzed reactions for synthesizing diverse structures of oligosaccharides, polysaccharides, and glycoconjugates. These strategies allow the synthesis of complex carbohydrates including those containing naturally occurring carbohydrate postglycosylational modifications (PGMs) and non-natural functional groups. By combining these srategies with facile purification schemes, synthetic access to the diverse space of carbohydrate structures can be automated and will not be limited to specialists.

Chemoenzymatic synthesis of sialylated lactuloses and their inhibitory effects on Staphylococcus aureus

Background

Sialylated glycoconjugates play important roles in physiological and pathological processes. However, available sialylated oligosaccharides source is limited which is a barrier to study their biological roles. This work reports an efficient approach to produce sialic acid-modified lactuloses and investigates their inhibitory effects on Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus).

Methods

A one-pot two-enzyme (OPTE) sialylation system was used to efficiently synthesize sialylated lactuloses. Silica gel flash chromatography column was employed to purify the sialylated products. The purity and identity of the product structures were confirmed with mass spectrometry (MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The inhibitory effect of sialylated lactuloses against S. aureus was evaluated by using microplate assay, fluorescence microscopy, DAPI (4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole) fluorescence staining and protein leakage quantification.

Results

Neu5Ac-containing sialylated lactuloses with either α2,3- or α2,6-linkages were efficiently synthesized via an efficient OPTE sialylation system using α-2,3-sialyltransferase or α-2,6-sialyltransferase, respectively. Neu5Ac-α2,3-lactulose and Neu5Ac-α2,6-lactulose significantly inhibited the growth of S. aureus. Fluorescence microscopy and DAPI fluorescence staining indicated that the sialylated lactuloses might disrupt nucleic acid synthesis of S. aureus.

Conclusions

Neu5Ac-containing sialylated lactuloses had higher antibacterial activity against S. aureus than non-sialylated lactulose. The inhibitory effect of Neu5Ac-α2,3-lactulose was superior to that of Neu5Ac-α2,6-lactulose. The sialylated lactuloses might inhibit S. aureus by causing cell membrane leakage and disrupting nucleic acid synthesis.

Enzymatic and Chemoenzymatic Syntheses of Disialyl Glycans and Their Necrotizing Enterocolitis Preventing Effects

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is one of the most common and devastating intestinal disorders in preterm infants. Therapies to meet the clinical needs for this special and highly vulnerable population are extremely limited. A specific human milk oligosaccharide (HMO), disialyllacto-N-tetraose (DSLNT), was shown to contribute to the beneficial effects of breastfeeding as it prevented NEC in a neonatal rat model and was associated with lower NEC risk in a human clinical cohort study. Herein, gram-scale synthesis of two DSLNT analogs previously shown to have NEC preventing effect is described. In addition, four novel disialyl glycans have been designed and synthesized by enzymatic or chemoenzymatic methods. Noticeably, two disialyl tetraoses have been produced by enzymatic sialylation of chemically synthesized thioethyl β-disaccharides followed by removal of the thioethyl aglycon. Dose-dependent and single-dose comparison studies showed varying NEC-preventing effects of the disialyl glycans in neonatal rats. This study helps to refine the structure requirement of the NEC-preventing effect of disialyl glycans and provides important dose-dependent information for using DSLNT analogs as potential therapeutics for NEC prevention in preterm infants.

Overcoming the limited availability of human milk oligosaccharides: challenges and opportunities for research and application

Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are complex sugars highly abundant in human milk but currently not present in infant formula. Rapidly accumulating evidence from in vitro and in vivo studies, combined with epidemiological associations and correlations, suggests that HMOs benefit infants through multiple mechanisms and in a variety of clinical contexts. Until recently, however, research on HMOs has been limited by an insufficient availability of HMOs. Most HMOs are found uniquely in human milk, and thus far it has been prohibitively tedious and expensive to isolate and synthesize them. This article reviews new strategies to overcome this lack of availability by generating HMOs through chemoenzymatic synthesis, microbial metabolic engineering, and isolation from human donor milk or dairy streams. Each approach has its advantages and comes with its own challenges, but combining the different methods and acknowledging their limitations creates new opportunities for research and application with the goal of improving maternal and infant health.

Synthesis of asymmetrical multiantennary human milk oligosaccharides

Despite mammalian glycans typically having highly complex asymmetrical multiantennary architectures, chemical and chemoenzymatic synthesis has almost exclusively focused on the preparation of simpler symmetrical structures. This deficiency hampers investigations into the biology of glycan-binding proteins, which in turn complicates the biomedical use of this class of biomolecules. Herein, we describe an enzymatic strategy, using a limited number of human glycosyltransferases, to access a collection of 60 asymmetric, multiantennary human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), which were used to develop a glycan microarray. Probing the array with several glycan-binding proteins uncovered that not only terminal glycoepitopes but also complex architectures of glycans can influence binding selectivity in unanticipated manners. N- and O-linked glycans express structural elements of HMOs, and thus, the reported synthetic principles will find broad applicability.