糖苷合成酶——— 一类新型的寡糖高效合成工具

寡糖是哺乳动物细胞表面糖蛋白和糖脂以及微生物来源的生理活性物质的要素之一,其应用于医药的巨大潜能至今还没有得到充分体现,主要原因是合成足够于临床使用的寡糖非常困难.传统的化学法和酶法在大规模合成寡糖方面都有一定局限性.近年来,分子生物学技术大大推动了糖苷酶合成寡糖的研究,将糖苷酶催化中心亲核体氨基酸定点突变为非亲核体氨基酸,导致酶的原有水解活性丧失,只催化糖苷键合成反应,寡糖产量最高可达99%,人工产生了一类新酶——糖苷合成酶(glycosynthases),随后又产生了硫代糖苷酶(thioglycoligases)和硫代糖苷合成酶(thioglycosynthases).糖苷合成酶的高通量筛选可用双质粒系统和酵母三杂交系统进行,其活性的进一步改进可通过亲核体氨基酸位点不同氨基酸取代、其他位点氨基酸突变、反应条件优化等方法进行,其区域选择性的改变或增强可通过改变糖基受体分子达到.糖苷合成酶作为一种新型高效的生物催化剂,对寡糖的工业化合成有着重要意义,它的出现对糖生物学的发展必将起到巨大的推动作用.     

β-N-乙酰氨基己糖苷酶及其合成寡糖的研究进展

β-N-乙酰氨基己糖苷酶(EC.3.2.1.52)是一类重要的糖苷水解酶,在自然界中催化简单的β-N-乙酰氨基己糖苷或复杂的寡糖链、多糖链中末端N-乙酰己糖苷键的水解,在微生物、植物和动物中广泛分布,具有重要的生物学功能。某些种类的β-N-乙酰氨基己糖苷酶在一定的人为条件下水解β-N-乙酰氨基己糖苷键的同时还具有转糖基作用,能将β-N-乙酰氨基己糖基转移到不同的羟基化合物上,合成β-N-乙酰氨基己糖苷化合物,在糖链合成上具有应用的潜力。本文综述了β-N-乙酰氨基己糖苷酶的结构和催化机制、酶的生物学功能以及酶在β-N-乙酰氨基己糖苷化合物合成中的应用,以促进β-N-乙酰氨基己糖苷酶的进一步研究和开发应用。     

长双歧杆菌α-唾液酸苷酶在大肠杆菌中的表达及酶学性质

[背景]唾液酸苷酶是一类水解唾液酸糖复合物末端唾液酸残基的糖苷水解酶,广泛存在于动物和微生物中,具有重要的生物学功能.[目的]克隆一个长双歧杆菌(Bifidobacterium longum)唾液酸苷酶基因(blsia42)并在大肠杆菌(Escherichia coli)中表达,探讨该重组酶的酶学性质.[方法]从长双歧...     

环果寡糖果糖基转移酶研究进展

环果寡糖果糖基转移酶(CFT酶)是一种多功能型酶,能催化三种转糖基反应(环化、歧化和耦合)以及水解反应,而其中能将菊糖水解为环果寡糖的环化反应是其特征性反应。环果寡糖的独特结构使其在医药、化工等领域具有潜在应用价值。简要论述了环果寡糖的结构和应用,重点论述了环果寡糖果糖基转移酶的酶学性质、基因克隆和表达,以及功能和催化机理等方面的最新研究进展。     

氟代糖在糖苷酶研究中的应用

近年来,氟代糖应用于糖苷酶反应研究,显示出越来越重要的作用。氟代糖可以作为糖苷酶及其突变酶的水解底物研究酶学性质;氟代糖抑制剂可以标记糖苷酶催化中心,鉴定亲核体氨基酸。尤为重要的是,氟代糖可作为糖苷酶的糖基供体来合成糖类。糖苷酶突变后,可生成糖苷合成酶和硫代糖苷合成酶,可以用与正常底物构型相反的氟代糖作为糖基供体高效合成糖类,收率一般为60%~90%,有的可达100%。糖苷酶及其突变酶以氟代糖为底物高效合成糖类的研究,必将促进生物学、糖生物学和纳米生物材料的发展。     

一种作用于花青素和甜菊醇的甜菊糖基转移酶的基因克隆和功能分析

本文对一种新的甜菊糖基转移酶进行了基因克隆和功能分析。获得的基因cDNA全长1419bp,编码473个氨基酸,蛋白质分子量约53.2K Da。与常见的糖基转移酶基因比较,相似性达44%以上,且具有糖基转移酶的保守序列。体外异源表达获得的融合蛋白,具有在花青素类和甜菊醇等糖基受体上转糖基的酶活性。在对一系列不同底物的酶活性进行比较后,推测这种糖基转移酶在体内参与了甜菊糖苷的合成。结果表明,具有广泛的底物活性的类黄酮类糖基转移酶,在甜菊体内不仅对类黄酮转糖基,而且在生成水溶性甜菊糖苷的过程中也扮演重要的角色。     

利用重组大肠杆菌进行寡糖合成的研究进展

随着更多寡糖生物学活性的阐明,寡糖合成研究已成为糖生物学研究的热点之一,其中,以重组大肠杆菌作为酶盒或生物反应器,利用Leloir途径合成寡糖的方法,是近年来发展起来的一类重要的寡糖生物合成技术,并取得了较多的进展。将从细菌糖基转移酶的表达和鉴定、糖核苷酸的供给和寡糖的合成途径等几个方面,关注利用细菌功能尤其是利用重组大肠杆菌合成寡糖的研究进展,并分析各技术手段的优缺点及其应用前景。     

微生物糖苷酶的新型突变酶——硫代糖苷酶的产生及应用

微生物糖苷酶的酸碱功能氨基酸突变酶能催化硫代糖苷的合成,这类酶被称为硫代糖苷酶。目前发展的硫代糖苷酶有β-硫代葡糖苷酶、β-硫代甘露糖苷酶、β-硫代半乳糖苷酶、α-硫代木糖苷酶和α-硫代葡糖苷酶,来源于细菌和古细菌,能合成多种硫代糖苷。最近,硫代糖苷酶被应用于糖蛋白的糖基化修饰,首次人工合成硫代糖蛋白。微生物糖苷酶合成功能的新延伸,对糖生物学、生物技术和制药业的发展将有着重要意义。     

微生物糖苷酶的新型突变酶——硫代糖苷酶的产生及应用

微生物糖苷酶的酸碱功能氨基酸突变酶能催化硫代糖苷的合成,这类酶被称为硫代糖苷酶。目前发展的硫代糖苷酶有β-硫代葡糖苷酶、β-硫代甘露糖苷酶、β-硫代半乳糖苷酶、α-硫代木糖苷酶和α-硫代葡糖苷酶,来源于细菌和古细菌,能合成多种硫代糖苷。最近,硫代糖苷酶被应用于糖蛋白的糖基化修饰,首次人工合成硫代糖蛋白。微生物糖苷酶合成功能的新延伸,对糖生物学、生物技术和制药业的发展将有着重要意义。     

一种来源于Leifsonia shinshuensis DICP 16菌体的β-D-木糖苷酶的分离纯化及其性质

采用盐析、DE 52、Q-Sepharose Fast Flow阴离子交换层析、Toyopearl Butyl 650C疏水层析以及Sephacryl S-300 HR凝胶过滤层析联用的方法, 从Leifsonia shinshuensis DICP 16菌体中纯化出一种β-木糖苷酶.分离后该酶在SDS-PAGE 上呈单一蛋白质条带, 通过SDS-PAGE和凝胶过滤层析法, 测得该酶是一个由两个分子量约为91 kD的相同亚基组成的同源二聚体.其水解对硝基苯酚木糖苷(pNPX)的最适反应温度为55°C, pH值为7.0.该木糖苷酶在45°C以下, pH 6.0～11.0之间具有很好的稳定性.在45°C, pH值为7.0的条件下, 水解pNPX的Km, Vmax分别为1.04 mmol/L, 0.095 mmol/(min·mg).研究不同的金属离子对该酶的活性影响, 发现Fe2+和Cu2+是很强的抑制剂.通过对天然木糖苷化合物的水解测试, 发现该酶可以水解人参皂苷Rb3的木糖基, 产生人参皂苷Rd, 却不能水解紫杉烷木糖苷的木糖基.     

Features and applications of bacterial sialidases

Sialidases, or neuraminidases (EC 3.2.1.18), belong to a class of glycosyl hydrolases that release terminal N-acylneuraminate residues from the glycans of glycoproteins, glycolipids, and polysaccharides. In bacteria, sialidases can be used to scavenge sialic acids as a nutrient from various sialylated substrates or to recognize sialic acids exposed on the surface of the host cell. Despite the fact that bacterial sialidases share many structural features, their biochemical properties, especially their linkage and substrate specificities, vary widely. Bacterial sialidases can catalyze the hydrolysis of terminal sialic acids linked by the α(2,3)-, α(2,6)-, or α(2,8)-linkage to a diverse range of substrates. In addition, some of these enzymes can catalyze the transfer of sialic acids from sialoglycans to asialoglycoconjugates via a transglycosylation reaction mechanism. Thus, some bacterial sialidases have been applied to synthesize complex sialyloligosaccharides through chemoenzymatic approaches and to analyze the glycan structure. In this review article, the biochemical features of bacterial sialidases and their potential applications in regioselective hydrolysis reactions as well as sialylation by transglycosylation for the synthesis of sialylated complex glycans are discussed.     

Teaching old enzymes new tricks: engineering and evolution of glycosidases and glycosyl transferases for improved glycoside synthesis.

The therapeutic potential of glycosides has made them an attractive target for drug development. The biological extraction and chemical synthesis of these molecules is often challenging and low yielding, thus alternative methods for the synthesis of polysaccharides are being pursued. A new class of enzymes, glycosynthases, which are nucleophile mutants of glycosidases, can perform the transglycosylation reaction without hydrolyzing the product, and thus provide a valuable resource for polysaccharide and glycan synthesis. Directed evolution of glycosynthases has expanded the repertoire of glycosidic linkages formed and the donors and acceptors (both sugar and nonsugar) that can be used by the glycosynthase. The application of new screening methods, such as FACS, to the directed evolution of glycosynthases will aid in the development of enzymes that are able to efficiently synthesize new, and therapeutically relevant glycosidic linkages.     

Engineering the glucansucrase GTFR enzyme reaction and glycosidic bond specificity: toward tailor-made polymer and oligosaccharide products

Two long-standing questions about glucansucrases (EC 2.4.1.5) are how they control oligosaccharide versus polysaccharide synthesis and how they direct their glycosidic linkage specificity. This information is required for the production of tailor-made saccharides. Mutagenesis promises to be an effective tool for enzyme engineering approaches for altering the regioselectivity and acceptor substrate specificity. Therefore, we chose the most conserved motif around the transition state stabilizer in glucansucrases for a random mutagenesis of the glucansucrase GTFR of Streptococcus oralis, yielding different variants with altered reaction specificity. Modifications at position S628 achieved by saturation mutagenesis guided the reaction toward the synthesis of short chain oligosaccharides with a drastically increased yield of isomaltose (47%) or leucrose (64%). Alternatively, GTFR variant R624G/V630I/D717A exhibited a drastic switch in regioselectivity from a dextran type with mainly alpha-1,6-glucosidic linkages to a mutan type polymer with predominantly alpha-1,3-glucosidic linkages. Targeted modifications demonstrated that both mutations near the transition state stabilizer, R624G and V630I, are contributing to this alteration. It is thus shown that mutagenesis can guide the transglycosylation reaction of glucansucrase enzymes toward the synthesis of (a) various short chain oligosaccharides or (b) novel polymers with completely altered linkages, without compromising their high transglycosylation activity and efficiency.     

Structure-function relationships of glucansucrase and fructansucrase enzymes from lactic acid bacteria.

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) employ sucrase-type enzymes to convert sucrose into homopolysaccharides consisting of either glucosyl units (glucans) or fructosyl units (fructans). The enzymes involved are labeled glucansucrases (GS) and fructansucrases (FS), respectively. The available molecular, biochemical, and structural information on sucrase genes and enzymes from various LAB and their fructan and alpha-glucan products is reviewed. The GS and FS enzymes are both glycoside hydrolase enzymes that act on the same substrate (sucrose) and catalyze (retaining) transglycosylation reactions that result in polysaccharide formation, but they possess completely different protein structures. GS enzymes (family GH70) are large multidomain proteins that occur exclusively in LAB. Their catalytic domain displays clear secondary-structure similarity with alpha-amylase enzymes (family GH13), with a predicted permuted (beta/alpha)(8) barrel structure for which detailed structural and mechanistic information is available. Emphasis now is on identification of residues and regions important for GS enzyme activity and product specificity (synthesis of alpha-glucans differing in glycosidic linkage type, degree and type of branching, glucan molecular mass, and solubility). FS enzymes (family GH68) occur in both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria and synthesize beta-fructan polymers with either beta-(2-->6) (inulin) or beta-(2-->1) (levan) glycosidic bonds. Recently, the first high-resolution three-dimensional structures have become available for FS (levansucrase) proteins, revealing a rare five-bladed beta-propeller structure with a deep, negatively charged central pocket. Although these structures have provided detailed mechanistic insights, the structural features in FS enzymes dictating the synthesis of either beta-(2-->6) or beta-(2-->1) linkages, degree and type of branching, and fructan molecular mass remain to be identified.     

Polysaccharide microarrays for high-throughput screening of transglycosylase activities in plant extracts

Polysaccharide transglycosylases catalyze disproportionation of polysaccharide molecules by cleaving glycosidic linkages in polysaccharide chains and transferring their cleaved portions to hydroxyl groups at the non-reducing ends of other polysaccharide or oligosaccharide molecules. In plant cell walls, transglycosylases have a potential to catalyze both cross-linking of polysaccharide molecules and grafting of newly arriving polysaccharide molecules into the cell wall structure during cell growth. Here we describe a polysaccharide microarray in form of a glycochip permitting simultaneous high-throughput monitoring of multiple transglycosylase activities in plant extracts. The glycochip, containing donor polysaccharides printed onto nitrocellulose-coated glass slides, was incubated with crude plant extracts, along with a series of fluorophore-labelled acceptor oligosaccharides. After removing unused labelled oligosaccharides by washing, fluorescence retained on the glycochip as a result of transglycosylase reaction was detected with a standard microarray scanner. The glycochip assay was used to detect transglycosylase activities in crude extracts from nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) and mouse-ear cress (Arabidopsis thaliana). A number of previously unknown saccharide donor-acceptor pairs active in transglycosylation reactions that lead to the formation of homo- and hetero-glycosidic conjugates, were detected. Our data provide experimental support for the existence of diverse transglycosylase activities in crude plant extracts.     

Insect Transgenesis: Mechanisms,Applications, and Ecological Safety

Abstract

Glycosylation is considered to be an important reaction for the chemical modification of compounds with useful biological activities. Glycoside hydrolases are biotechnologically attractive enzymes which can be used in synthetic reactions for assembling glycosidic linkages with absolute stereoselectivity at an anomeric centre. Most of these enzymes are commercially available but there is great interest in the search for new biocatalysts with original catalytic characteristics. The marine environment has shown to be a very interesting source for new glycosyl hydrolases for both hydrolytic and synthetic aspects. In particular, Aplysia fasciata a marine herbivorous mollusc has been shown to be a potent producer of a library of glycoside hydrolases applied to the synthesis of glycosidic bonds. The impressive assortment of glycosidases in marine organisms clearly indicates that the potential biodiversity of these enzymes is still largely unexplored and that potential applications of biocatalysts from the sea will increase in the near future.     

Kinetic and substrate binding analysis of phosphorylase b via electrospray ionization mass spectrometry: a model for chemical proteomics of sugar phosphorylases

As a general strategy for determining the chemical function of the class of enzymes that cleaves glycosidic linkages with phosphate, the first mass spectrometry and direct detection assay for sugar phosphorylases has been developed and used to study the inhibition and minimal binding requirements of rabbit muscle phosphorylase b. In contrast to the currently employed assays for these enzymes that measure the nonphysiologically relevant reverse reaction of glycosidic bond synthesis and thereby require prior knowledge of not just one but two sugar components, this new method has the potential to greatly reduce the complexity in discovering the substrate specificity of a new enzyme. Certain phosphorylases can catalyze the degradation of glycogen into alpha-D-glucose-1-phosphate and are targets for the development of antidiabetic therapeutics. By electrospray ionization mass spectrometry analysis, the kinetic parameters K(m), V(max), and K(i) (for alpha/beta-D-glucose) have been determined for the rabbit muscle phosphorylase b. This enzyme accepts maltoheptaose, maltohexaose, and maltopentaose as substrates in the direction of glycogen degradation, but the tetrasaccharide maltotetraose cannot serve as a substrate for this phosphorylysis reaction.     

The specificity of viral and bacterial sialidases for alpha(2-3)- and alpha(2-6)-linked sialic acids in glycoproteins

The anomeric specificity of six sialidases (Vibrio cholerae, Arthrobacter ureafaciens, Clostridium perfringens, Newcastle disease virus, fowl plague virus and influenza A2 virus sialidases) was assessed with sialylated antifreeze glycoprotein, ovine submandibular gland glycoprotein and alpha 1-acid glycoprotein, resialylated specifically in alpha(2-3) or alpha(2-6) linkage with N-acetylneuraminic acid or N-glycolylneuraminic acid using highly purified sialyltransferases. The rate of release of sialic acid from these substrates was found to correlate well with the specificity observed earlier with the same sialidases using small oligosaccharide substrates, i.e., alpha(2-3) glycosidic linkages are hydrolyzed faster than alpha(2-6) linkages, with the exception of the enzyme from A. ureafaciens. Sialidase activity was higher with N-acetylneuraminic acid when compared with N-glycolylneuraminic acid. The studies also showed that the core oligosaccharide and protein structure in glycoproteins may influence the rate of release for different glycosidic linkages.     

Structure-Function Relationships of Glucansucrase and Fructansucrase Enzymes from Lactic Acid Bacteria

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) employ sucrase-type enzymes to convert sucrose into homopolysaccharides consisting of either glucosyl units (glucans) or fructosyl units (fructans). The enzymes involved are labeled glucansucrases (GS) and fructansucrases (FS), respectively. The available molecular, biochemical, and structural information on sucrase genes and enzymes from various LAB and their fructan and α-glucan products is reviewed. The GSand FS enzymes are both glycoside hydrolase enzymes that act on the same substrate (sucrose) and catalyze (retaining) transglycosylation reactions that result in polysaccharide formation, but they possess completely different protein structures. GS enzymes (family GH70) are large multidomain proteins that occur exclusively in LAB. Their catalytic domain displays clear secondary-structure similarity with α-amylase enzymes (family GH13), with a predicted permuted (β/α)₈ barrel structure for which detailed structural and mechanistic information is available. Emphasis now is on identification of residues and regions important for GS enzyme activity and product specificity (synthesis of α-glucans differing in glycosidic linkage type, degree and type of branching, glucan molecular mass, and solubility). FS enzymes (family GH68) occur in both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria and synthesize β-fructan polymers with either β-(2→6) (inulin) or β-(2→1) (levan) glycosidic bonds. Recently, the first high-resolution three-dimensional structures have become available for FS (levansucrase) proteins, revealing a rare five-bladed β-propeller structure with a deep, negatively charged central pocket. Although these structures have provided detailed mechanistic insights, the structural features in FS enzymes dictating the synthesis of either β-(2→6) or β-(2→1) linkages, degree and type of branching, and fructan molecular mass remain to be identified.     

Unexpected mode of action of sweet potato β-amylase on maltooligomer substrates

β-Amylase (EC 3.2.1.2), one of the main protein of the sweet potato, is an exo-working enzyme catalyzing the hydrolysis of α(1,4) glycosidic linkages in polysaccharides and removes successively maltose units from the non-reducing ends. The enzyme belongs to glycoside hydrolase GH14 family and inverts the anomeric configuration of the hydrolysis product. Multiple attack or processivity is an important property of polymer active enzymes and there is still limited information about the processivity of carbohydrate active enzymes. Action pattern and kinetic measurements of sweet potato β-amylase were made on a series of aromatic chromophor group-containing substrates (degree of polymerization DP 3-13) using HPLC method. Measured catalytic efficiencies increased with increasing DP of the substrates. Processive cleavage was observed on all substrates except the shortest pentamer. The mean number of steps without dissociation of enzyme–product complex increases with DP of substrate and reached 3.3 in case of CNPG11 indicating that processivity on longer substrates was more significant. A unique transglycosylation was observed on those substrates, which suffer processive cleavage and the substrates were re-built by the enzyme. Our results are the first presentation of a transglycosylation during an inverting glycosidase catalyzed hydrolysis. The yield of transglycosylation was remarkable high as shown in the change of the CNPG11 quantity. The CNPG11 concentration was doubled (from 0.24 to 0.54 mM) in the early phase of the reaction.