Efficient enzymatic synthesis of the sialyl-Lewisx tetrasaccharide. A ligand for selectin-type adhesion molecules.

Sialyl-Lewisx (NeuAc alpha 2-->3Gal beta 1-->4[Fuc alpha 1-->3]GlcNAc] has been identified as a ligand for E-selectin, P-selectin and recently also for L-selectin. We have synthesized the sialyl-Lewisx tetrasaccharide by total enzymatic synthesis from N-acetyllactosamine using a placental alpha 2-->3-sialyltransferase specific for type-2 chain acceptors, followed by a cloned human alpha 1-->3-fucosyltransferase (FucTV, the 'plasma-type' enzyme). This procedure resulted in the tetrasaccharide in a 61% overall yield.