Weijers Carel A G M, Franssen Maurice C R, Visser Gerben M
Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Biotechnol Adv. 2008 Sep-Oct;26(5):436-56. doi: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2008.05.001. Epub 2008 May 15.
Mammalian cell surfaces are all covered with bioactive oligosaccharides which play an important role in molecular recognition events such as immune recognition, cell-cell communication and initiation of microbial pathogenesis. Consequently, bioactive oligosaccharides have been recognized as a medicinally relevant class of biomolecules for which the interest is growing. For the preparation of complex and highly pure oligosaccharides, methods based on the application of glycosyltransferases are currently recognized as being the most effective. The present paper reviews the potential of glycosyltransferases as synthetic tools in oligosaccharide synthesis. Reaction mechanisms and selected characteristics of these enzymes are described in relation to the stereochemistry of the transfer reaction and the requirements of sugar nucleotide donors. For the application of glycosyltransferases, accepted substrate profiles are summarized and the whole-cell approach versus isolated enzyme methodology is compared. Sialyltransferase-catalyzed syntheses of gangliosides and other sialylated oligosaccharides are described in more detail in view of the prominent role of these compounds in biological recognition.
哺乳动物细胞表面均覆盖有生物活性寡糖，这些寡糖在分子识别事件中发挥着重要作用，如免疫识别、细胞间通讯以及微生物致病作用的起始。因此，生物活性寡糖已被公认为一类与医学相关的生物分子，对此类分子的研究兴趣正与日俱增。对于复杂且高纯度寡糖的制备，基于糖基转移酶应用的方法目前被认为是最有效的。本文综述了糖基转移酶作为寡糖合成中合成工具的潜力。结合转移反应的立体化学以及糖核苷酸供体的要求，描述了这些酶的反应机制和选定特性。对于糖基转移酶的应用，总结了公认的底物谱，并比较了全细胞方法与分离酶方法。鉴于这些化合物在生物识别中的突出作用，更详细地描述了唾液酸转移酶催化的神经节苷脂和其他唾液酸化寡糖的合成。
