Synthesis of bisubstrate analogues targeting alpha-1,3-fucosyltransferase and their activities

We designed two bisubstrate analogues targeting alpha-1,3-fucosyltransferases, based on the three dimensional structure of Lewis X, which is the product of a alpha-1,3-fucosyltransferase reaction. We selected guanosine-5'-diphospho-L-galactose as a donor mimic and 2-hydroxyethyl beta-D-galactoside as an acceptor mimic, and tethered these two mimics with a methylene or ethylene linker. For the synthesis, the 6-position of L-galactose and the 6-position of D-galactose were first tethered via a methylene or ethylene linker. The L-galactose moiety was then converted to a GDP derivative. Both bisubstrate analogues were moderate inhibitors against alpha-1,3-fucosyltransferase V and VI. The fact that they were substrates of alpha-1,3-fucosyltransferase VI suggested that these compounds bound to the donor binding site, but not to the acceptor binding site.     

Structure-based design, synthesis, and in vitro evaluation of bisubstrate inhibitors for catechol O-methyltransferase (COMT)

The enzyme catechol O-methyltransferase (COMT) catalyzes the Me group transfer from the cofactor S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) to the hydroxy group of catechol substrates. Potential bisubstrate inhibitors of COMT were developed by structure-based design and synthesized. The compounds were tested for in vitro inhibitory activity against COMT obtained from rat liver, and the inhibition kinetics were examined with regard to the binding sites of cofactor and substrate. One of the designed molecules was found to be a bisubstrate inhibitor of COMT with an IC50 = 2 microM. It exhibits competitive kinetics for the SAM and noncompetitive kinetics for the catechol binding site. Useful structure-activity relationships were established which provide important guidelines for the design of future generations of bisubstrate inhibitors of COMT.     

Transition state analysis of Vibrio cholerae sialidase-catalyzed hydrolyses of natural substrate analogues

A series of isotopically labeled natural substrate analogues (phenyl 5-N-acetyl-α-d-neuraminyl-(2→3)-β-d-galactopyranosyl-(1→4)-1-thio-β-d-glucopyranoside; Neu5Acα2,3LacβSPh, and the corresponding 2→6 isomer) were prepared chemoenzymatically in order to characterize, by use of multiple kinetic isotope effect (KIE) measurements, the glycosylation transition states for Vibrio cholerae sialidase-catalyzed hydrolysis reactions. The derived KIEs for Neu5Acα2,3LacβSPh for the ring oxygen ((18)V/K), leaving group oxygen ((18)V/K), C3-S deuterium ((D)V/K(S)) and C3-R deuterium ((D)V/K(R)) are 1.029 ± 0.002, 0.983 ± 0.001, 1.034 ± 0.002, and 1.043 ± 0.002, respectively. In addition, the KIEs for Neu5Acα2,6βSPh for C3-S deuterium ((D)V/K(S)) and C3-R deuterium ((D)V/K(R)) are 1.021 ± 0.001 and 1.049 ± 0.001, respectively. The glycosylation transition state structures for both Neu5Acα2,3LacβSPh and Neu5Acα2,6LacβSPh were modeled computationally using the experimental KIE values as goodness of fit criteria. Both transition states are late with largely cleaved glycosidic bonds coupled to pyranosyl ring flattening ((4)H(5) half-chair conformation) with little or no nucleophilic involvement of the enzymatic tyrosine residue. Notably, the transition state for the catalyzed hydrolysis of Neu5Acα2,6βSPh appears to incorporate a lesser degree of general-acid catalysis, relative to the 2,3-isomer.     

Unique self-anhydride formation in the degradation of cytidine-5'-monophosphosialic acid (CMP-Neu5Ac) and cytidine-5'-diphosphosialic acid (CDP-Neu5Ac) and its application in CMP-sialic acid analogue synthesis

Sialyloligosaccharides are synthesised by various glycosyltransferases and sugar nucleotides. All of these nucleotides are diphosphate compounds except for cytidine-5'-monophosphosialic acid (CMP-Neu5Ac). To obtain an insight into why cytidine-5'-diphosphosialic acid (CDP-Neu5Ac) has not been used for the sialyltransferase reaction and why it is not found in biological organisms, the compound was synthesised. This synthesis provided the interesting finding that the carboxylic acid moiety of the sialic acid attacks the attached phosphate group. This interaction yields an activated anhydride between carboxylic acid and the phosphate group and leads to hydrolysis of the pyrophosphate linkage. The mechanism was demonstrated by stable isotope-labelling experiments. This finding suggested that CMP-Neu5Ac might also form the corresponding anhydride structure between carboxylic acid and phosphate, and this seems to be the reason why CMP-Neu5Ac is acid labile in relation to other sugar nucleotides. To confirm the role of the carboxylic acid, CMP-Neu5Ac derivatives in which the carboxylic acid moiety in the sialic acid was substituted with amide or ester groups were synthesised. These analogues clearly exhibited resistance to acid hydrolysis. This result indicated that the carboxylic acid of Neu5Ac is associated with its stability in solution. This finding also enabled the development of a novel chemical synthetic method for CMP-Neu5Ac and CMP-sialic acid derivatives.     

Natural sialoside analogues for the determination of enzymatic rate constants

Two isomeric 4-methylumbelliferyl-alpha-D-N-acetylneuraminylgalactopyranosides (1 and 2) were synthesised. These compounds contain either the natural alpha-2,3 or alpha-2,6 sialyl-galactosyl linkages, as well as an attached 4-methylumbelliferone for convenient detection of their hydrolyses. These compounds were designed as natural sialoside analogues to be used in a continuous assay of sialidase activity, where the sialidase-catalysed reaction is coupled with an exo-beta-galactosidase-catalysed hydrolysis of the released galactoside to give free 4-methylumbelliferone. The kinetic parameters for 1 and 2 were measured using the wild-type and nucleophilic mutant Y370G recombinant sialidase from Micromonospora viridifaciens. Kinetic parameters for these analogues measured using the new continuous assay were in good agreement with the parameters for the natural substrate, 3'-sialyl lactose. Given the selection of commercially available exo-beta-galactosidases that possess a variety of pH optima, this new method was used to characterise the full pH profile of the wild-type sialidase with the natural sialoside analogue 1. Thus, use of these new substrates 1 and 2 in a continuous assay mode, which can be detected by UV/Vis or fluorescence spectroscopy, makes characterisation of sialidase activity with natural sialoside linkages much more facile.     

Potent and specific sialyltransferase inhibitors: imino-linked 5a'-carbadisaccharides

Methyl 5a'-carba-beta-lactoside, imino-linked, has been shown to possess potent and specific inhibitory activity (IC50 = 185 microM) toward rat recombinant alpha2,3-sialyltransferase.     

Efficient Synthesis of the Disialylated Tetrasaccharide Motif in N‐Glycans through an Amide‐Protection Strategy

A disialylated tetrasaccharide, Neu5Ac(α2,3)Gal(β1,3)[Neu5Ac(α2,6)]GlcNAc ( 1 ), which is found at the termini of some N‐glycans, has been synthesized. Compound 1 was obtained through an α‐sialylation reaction between a sialic acid donor and a trisaccharide that was synthesized from the glycosylation of a sialylated disaccharide with a glucosaminyl donor. This synthetic route enabled the synthesis of the as‐described disialylated structure. A more‐convergent route based on the glycosylation of two sialylated disaccharides was also established to scale up the synthesis. Protection of the amide groups in the sialic acid residues significantly increased the yield of the glycosylation reaction between the two sialylated disaccharides, thus suggesting that the presence of hydrogen bonds on the sialic acid residues diminished their reactivity.     

Quantitation of cytidine-5′-monophospho-N-acetylneuraminic acid in human leukocytes using LC–MS/MS: method development and validation

The biosynthesis of sialic acid (Neu5Ac) leads to the intracellular production of cytidine-5′-monophospho-N-acetylneuraminic acid (CMP-Neu5Ac), the active sialic acid donor to nascent glycans (glycoproteins and glycolipids) in the Golgi. UDP-N-acetylglucosamine 2-epimerase/N-acetylmannosamine kinase myopathy is a rare autosomal recessive muscular disease characterized by progressive muscle weakness and atrophy. To quantify the intracellular levels of CMP-Neu5Ac as well as N-acetylmannosamine (ManNAc) and Neu5Ac in human leukocytes, we developed and validated robust liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry methods. A fit-for-purpose approach was implemented for method validation. Hydrophilic interaction chromatography was used to retain three hydrophilic analytes. The human leukocyte pellets were lysed and extracted in a methanol–water mixture and the leukocyte extract was used for LC–MS/MS analysis. The lower limits of quantitation for ManNAc, Neu5Ac and CMP-Neu5Ac were 25.0, 25.0 and 10.0 ng/ml, respectively. These validated methods were applied to a clinical study.     

FRET-based direct and continuous monitoring of human fucosyltransferases activity: an efficient synthesis of versatile GDP-L-fucose derivatives from abundant D-galactose

We have developed a facile and versatile protocol for the continuous monitoring of human fucosyltransferases activity by using fluorescence energy resonance transfer (FRET), and have explored the feasibility of its use in an inhibitor screening assay. A convenient sugar nucleotide with a fluorogenic probe, 6-deoxy-6-N-(2-naphalene-2-yl-acetamide)-beta-L-galactopyranos-1-yl-guanosine 5'-diphosphate disodium salt (1), was efficiently synthesized from naturally abundant D-galactopyranose via a key intermediate, 6-azide-1,2,3,4-tetra-O-benzoyl-6-deoxy-beta-L-galactopyranose (10). It was demonstrated that the combined use of the glycosyl donor 1 and a dansylated acceptor substrate, sialyl-alpha2,3-LacNAc derivative (2) allowed us to carry out highly sensitive, direct, and continuous in vitro monitoring of the generation of sialyl Lewis X (SLe x), which is catalyzed by human alpha-1,3-fucosyltransferase VI (FUT-VI). A kinetic analysis revealed that compound 1 was an excellent donor substrate (KM=0.94 microM and Vmax=0.14 microM min(-1)) for detecting human FUT-VI activity. To the best of our knowledge, this synthetic fluorogenic probe is the most sensitive and selective donor substrate for FUT-VI among all of the known GDP-Fuc analogues, including the parent GDP-Fuc. When a dansylated asparagine-linked glycopeptide 20, which is derived from egg yolk was employed as an alternate acceptor substrate, a FRET-based assay with compound 1 could be used to directly monitor the alpha1,6-fucosylation at the reducing terminal GlcNAc residue by human FUT-VIII (KM=175 microM and Vmax=0.06 microM/ min); this indicates that the present method might become a general protocol for the characterization of various mammalian fucosyltransferases in the presence of designated fluorogenic acceptor substrates. The present protocol revealed that compound 23, which was obtained by a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition between the disodium salt 16 and 1-ethynyl-naphthalene exhibits highly potent inhibitory effects against the FUT-VI-mediated sialyl Lewis X synthesis (IC50=5.4 microM).     

Lithocholic acid analogues, new and potent alpha-2,3-sialyltransferase inhibitors

A new type of noncompetitive alpha-2,3-sialyltransferase inhibitor has been synthesized; we report the discovery, preparation and inhibitory activity of sixteen lithocholic acid analogues.     

Synthesis and characterization of an anomeric sulfur analogue of CMP-sialic acid

alpha-2,3-Sialyltransferase catalyzes the transfer of sialic acid from CMP-sialic acid (1) to a lactose acceptor. An analogue of 1 was synthesized in which the anomeric oxygen atom was replaced with a sulfur atom (1S). The key step in the synthesis of 1S was a tetrazole-promoted coupling of a cytidine-5'-phosphoramidite with a glycosyl thiol of a protected sialic acid. Compounds 1 and 1S were characterized for their activity in a sialyl transfer assay. The rate of solvolysis in aqueous buffer of analogue 1S was 50-fold slower than that of 1. Analogue 1S was found to be substrate for alpha-2,3-sialyltransferase. The K(m) of 1S was just 3-fold higher than that of 1, while the k(cat) of 1S was 2 orders of magnitude lower compared to 1.     

Pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine thymidylate synthase inhibitors: design and synthesis of one-carbon bridge derivatives

A series of novel pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivatives was designed and synthesized as thymidylate synthase (TS) inhibitors. Molecular design was performed on the human TS complex model built on the basis of the reported structure of TS-deoxyuridinemonophosphate (dUMP)-CB3717 ternary complex. From a docking study, we expected that a one-carbon bridge between pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine and an aromatic ring was suitable. Moreover, we found that the bridge carbon could be replaced with an alkyl group to fill out the unoccupied space. Based on this design, we synthesized five pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivatives with one-carbon bridge and evaluated their TS inhibitory activities. All synthesized compounds inhibited TS more potently than compound 2 (LY231514), and the C8-ethyl analogue (7) showed a remarkable inhibitory activity against TS (IC50=0.017 microM).     

Synthesis and evaluation of 1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphoric acid analogues as alternate substrates for methylerythritol phosphate synthase

[structure: see text] Four deoxyxylulose phosphate (DXP) analogues were synthesized and evaluated as substrates/inhibitors for methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) synthase. In analogues CF(3)-DXP (1), CF(2)-DXP (2), and CF-DXP (3), the three methyl hydrogens at C1 of DXP were sequentially replaced by fluorine. In the fourth analogue, Et-DXP (4), the methyl group in DXP was replaced by an ethyl moiety. Analogues 1, 2, and 4 were not substrates for MEP synthase under normal catalytic conditions and were instead modest inhibitors with IC(50) values of 2.0, 3.4, and 6.2 mM, respectively. In contrast, 3 was a good substrate (k(cat) = 38 s(-)(1), K(m) = 227 muM) with a turnover rate similar to that of the natural substrate. These results are consistent with a retro-aldol/aldol mechanism rather than an alpha-ketol rearrangement for the enzyme-catalyzed conversion of DXP to MEP.     

Synthesis of selective inhibitors against V. cholerae sialidase and human cytosolic sialidase NEU2

Sialidases or neuraminidases catalyze the hydrolysis of terminal sialic acid residues from sialyl oligosaccharides and glycoconjugates. Despite successes in developing potent inhibitors specifically against influenza virus neuraminidases, the progress in designing and synthesizing selective inhibitors against bacterial and human sialidases has been slow. Guided by sialidase substrate specificity studies and sialidase crystal structural analysis, a number of 2-deoxy-2,3-dehydro-N-acetylneuraminic acid (DANA or Neu5Ac2en) analogues with modifications at C9 or at both C5 and C9 were synthesized. Inhibition studies of various bacterial sialidases and human cytosolic sialidase NEU2 revealed that Neu5Gc9N(3)2en and Neu5AcN(3)9N(3)2en are selective inhibitors against V. cholerae sialidase and human NEU2, respectively.     

Synthesis of a bisubstrate analogue targeting estrogen sulfotransferase

Sulfotransferases catalyze the transfer of a sulfuryl group from the eukaryotic sulfate donor 3'-phosphoadenosine 5'-phosphosulfate to an acceptor biomolecule. Sulfotransferases have been linked with several disease states, prompting our investigation of specific sulfotransferase inhibitors. Presented herein is the synthesis and evaluation of a bisubstrate analogue designed to inhibit estrogen sulfotransferase. The synthesis utilizes a novel, orthogonally protected 3'-phosphoadenosine 5'-phosphate (PAP) derivative allowing the selective functionalization of the 5'-phosphate with a sulfate acceptor mimic. Kinetic studies revealed significant inhibitory activity and provide guidance for improved inhibitor design.     

Inhibition effects of 5-S-glutathionyl-N-beta-alanyl-L-dopa analogues against Src protein tyrosine kinase.

Twelve analogues of the antibacterial phenolic peptide 5-S-glutathionyl-N-beta-alanyl-L-dopa (5-S-GA-L-D, 1) were synthesized via orthoquinone using tyrosinase. Several synthesized compounds inhibited the v-Src autophosphorylation tyrosine kinase reaction with an IC50 value comparable to that of herbimycin A. The inhibition of c-Src substrate phosphorylation was much less active than v-Src autophosphorylation inhibition. 5-S-GA-L-D (1) and its analogous competed with peptide substrate and non-compared with ATP. The analogues showed no effects on substrate phosphorylation by epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and this selectivity is the most characteristic feature of the 5-S-GA-L-D and its analogues (1-12).     

Novel 3',6'-anhydro and N12,N13-bridged glycosylated fluoroindolo[2,3-a]carbazoles as topoisomerase I inhibitors. Fluorine as a leaving group from sp3 carbon

[reaction: see text] Both 6'- and 4'-fluoro-glycosylated indolo[2,3-a]carbazoles are substrates for base-induced loss of fluorine as a leaving group from sp3 carbon. In the case of alpha-N-glycosylated substrate 3, loss of fluorine from the 6'-position leads to 3,6-anhydroglucose analogue 1. A novel N12,N13-bridged sugar analogue 2 results from loss of 4'-fluorine from beta-N-glycosylated analogue 4. Both analogues 1 and 2 display topo I inhibitory potencies similar to camptothecin.     

3 beta-Hydroxysialic acid glycosides. I. Calcium-binding ability and chemical and enzymatic stabilities.

Methyl alpha- and beta-glycosides of N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) and N-acetyl-3 beta-hydroxyneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac beta 3OH) (1-4) were prepared to evaluate their calcium-binding ability. (Methyl alpha-glucopyranosidonyl) alpha- and beta-, and 4-methylumbelliferyl alpha-glycosides of Neu5Ac and Neu5Ac beta 3OH (5-10) were also synthesized for the comparison of chemical and enzymatic stabilities, respectively. Methyl beta-glycosides of Neu5Ac and Neu5Ac beta 3OH, 3 and 4, respectively, showed intense calcium-binding abilities, while no such ability was observed in the corresponding alpha-glycosides, 1 and 2. The Neu5Ac beta 3OH glycosides, 6, 8, and 10, showed much stronger resistance to acidic hydrolysis and sialidase digestion than the corresponding Neu5Ac glycosides, 5, 7, and 9.     

Purification and partial characterization of CMP-Neu5Ac synthetase from rat brain

N-Acetyl-neuraminic acid cytidylyltransferase (EC 2.7.7.43) (CMP-Neu5Ac synthetase), which catalyzes the formation of cytidine-5′-monophospho-N-acetyl-neuraminic acid (CMP-Neu5Ac) from cytidine-5′-triphosphate (CTP) and N-acetyl-neuraminic acid (Neu5Ac), was purified from rat brains aged 8-9 days, which presented the highest specific activity, and partially characterized. Partial protein fractionation in the crude extract was achieved by using 40-60% ammonium sulphate. Subsequently, CMP-Neu5Ac synthetase was purified by column chromatography on Sephacryl S-200 (gel filtration), Yellow-86-Agarose (affinity) and Phenyl-Sepharose (hydrophobic affinity). The pure enzyme had a specific activity of 3.6555 U/mg of protein and was purified 1662-fold, with an 18% yield. The purified CMP-Neu5Ac synthetase had a molecular weight of about 46 ± 1 kDa. Its purity was confirmed by sodium dodecyl sulphate and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The active enzyme chromatographed on a gel filtration column at 190 kDa, suggesting it exists in its native form as a tetramer. The greatest activity of enzyme was observed a temperature of 40 °C for a period of 45 min of incubation, revealing a certain thermal stability. The enzyme was found to remain stable in the pH range 8.5-9.5 at 40 °C, specifically at pH 9.0 for a 45 min incubation period. The enzyme was blocked by thiol-modifying reagents and such heavy metal cations as Mn²⁺, Cu²⁺, Sn²⁺, Co²⁺, Zn²⁺ and Hg²⁺, but was not inhibited by thiol-containing reagents like reduced glutathione (GSH), mercaptoethanol and cysteine. Finally, in the presence of 0.01 M of dithiothreitol (DTT) or 0.06 M of NaF, the enzyme showed activity losses of approximately 20 and 17%, respectively.     

C-linked disaccharide analogue of the Thomsen-Friedenreich (T)-epitope alpha-O-conjugated to L-serine

Condensation of a silylated beta-D-galactopyranosylaldehyde (3) with isolevoglucosenone (4) in the presence of Et(2)AlI provided bicyclic enone 5. Subsequent addition of BnNHOMe gave adduct 6, which was converted into 4-O-acetyl-1,6-anhydro-3-C-[(1 R)-1,3,4,5,7-penta-O-acetyl-2,6-anhydro-D-glycero-L-manno-heptitol-1-C-yl]-2-azido-2,3-dideoxy-beta-D-galacto-hexopyranose after liberation of the 2-amino group, its transformation into a 2-azido moiety, desilylation, and peracetylation. Ring-opening of the 1,6-anhydro galactopyranosyl unit and O-glycosidation with Fmoc-Ser-O-tBu afforded a 5:1 mixture of alpha- and beta-galactosides. Treatment with CH(3)COSH gave pure N-[(9H-fluoren-9-ylmethoxy)carbonyl]-{4,6-di-O-acetyl-3-C-[(1 R)-2,6-anhydro 1,3,4,5,7-penta-O-acetyl-D-glycero-L-manno-heptitol-1-C-yl]-2-[(N-acetyl)amino]-2,3-dideoxy-alpha-D-galactopyranosyl}-l-serine tert-butyl ester (2), a protected form of a C-disaccharide analogue of the Thomsen-Friedenreich (or T) epitope (beta-D-Galp-(1-->3)-alpha-D-GalNAcp) alpha-O-conjugated to L-serine.