Fluorescence Turn‐On Sensing of Lectins with Mannose‐Substituted Tetraphenylethenes Based on Aggregation‐Induced Emission

The synthesis of mannose‐substituted tetraphenylethenes (TPEs) and their aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) behavior, induced by interactions with concanavalin A (Con A), are reported. A mixture of the mannose‐TPE conjugates and Con A in a buffer solution displays an intense blue emission on agglutination within a few seconds, which serves as a “turn‐on” fluorescent sensor for lectins. The sensing is also selective: the conjugates act as a sensor for Con A, but do not sense a galactose‐binding lectin, PNA. Con A‐recognition is not affected even in the presence of other proteins in a mixture. The conjugates also exhibit high sensitivity to detect Con A. An increased sensitivity of the conjugates results if mannopyranoside substituents are linked to the TPE‐core unit with a flexible chain and/or when the number of mannose residues increases.     

Fullerene‐sp2‐Iminosugar Balls as Multimodal Ligands for Lectins and Glycosidases: A Mechanistic Hypothesis for the Inhibitory Multivalent Effect

Concerted functioning of lectins and carbohydrate‐processing enzymes, mainly glycosidases, is essential in maintaining life. It was commonly assumed that the mechanisms by which each class of protein recognizes their cognate sugar partners are intrinsically different: multivalency is a characteristic feature of carbohydrate–lectin interactions, whereas glycosidases bind to their substrates or substrate‐analogue inhibitors in monovalent form. Recent observations on the glycosidase inhibitory potential of multivalent glycomimetics have questioned this paradigm and led to postulate an inhibitory multivalent effect. Here the mechanisms at the origin of this phenomenon have been investigated. A D ‐gluco‐configured sp²‐iminosugar glycomimetic motif, namely 1‐amino‐5N,6O‐oxomethylydenenojirimycin (1N‐ONJ), behaving, simultaneously, as a ligand of peanut agglutinin (PNA) lectin and as an inhibitor of several glycosidases, has been identified. Both the 1N‐ONJ–lectin‐ and 1N‐ONJ–glycosidase‐recognition processes have been found to be sensitive to multivalency, which has been exploited in the design of a lectin–glycosidase competitive assay to explore the implication of catalytic and non‐glycone sites in enzyme binding. A set of isotropic dodecavalent C₆₀‐fullerene–sp²‐iminosugar balls incorporating matching or mismatching motifs towards several glycosidases (inhitopes) was synthesized for that purpose, thereby preventing differences in binding modes arising from orientational preferences. The data supports that: 1) multivalency allows modulating the affinity and selectivity of a given inhitope towards glycosidases; 2) multivalent presentation can switch on the inhibitory capacity for some inhitope–glycosidase pairs, and 3) interactions of the multivalent inhibitors with non‐glycone sites is critical for glycosidase recognition. The ensemble of results point to a shift in the binding mode on going from monovalent to multivalent systems: in the first case a typical ′′key–lock′′ model involving, essentially, the high‐affinity active site can be assumed, whereas in the second, a lectin‐like behavior implying low‐affinity non‐glycone sites probably operates. The differences in responsiveness to multivalency for different glycosidases can then be rationalized in terms of the structure and accessibility of the corresponding carbohydrate‐binding regions.     

Biological activity of chitosan–sugar hybrids: specific interaction with lectin

The specific interactions between lectins and chitosan–sugar hybrids, the synthesized chitosan derivatives linking carbohydrate residue to the amino group of chitosan, were investigated. The specific bindings of chitosan‐L ‐fucose (Fuc) hybrid with Ulex europaeus agglutinin I (UEA I, a lectin specific to L ‐Fuc), and chitosan‐N‐acetyl‐D ‐glucosamine (D ‐GlcNAc) hybrid with Concanavalin A (Con A, a lectin specific to D ‐glucose, D ‐mannose and D ‐GlcNAc), were confirmed by a surface plasmon resonance technique. The microscopic observation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which was preincubated with the fluorescein isothiocyanate‐labeled chitosan‐L ‐Fuc hybrid, showed bacteria aggregation. The aggregation was thought to be resulted from the specific interaction of the L ‐Fuc residue of the hybrid with PA‐II lectin on the surface of P. aeruginosa. The chitosan‐L ‐Fuc hybrid inhibited P. aeruginosa growth more effectively in comparison with the other hybrids or unmodified chitosan. The enhancement of antimicrobial activity of chitosan‐L ‐Fuc hybrid could be attributed to the specific binding between PA‐II lectin of P. aeruginosa and L ‐Fuc residue of the L ‐Fuc hybrid. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Computational prediction of monosaccharide binding free energies to lectins with linear interaction energy models

The linear interaction energy (LIE) method to compute binding free energies is applied to lectin‐monosaccharide complexes. Here, we calculate the binding free energies of monosaccharides to the Ralstonia solanacearum lectin (RSL) and the Pseudomonas aeruginosa lectin‐II (PA‐IIL). The standard LIE model performs very well for RSL, whereas the PA‐IIL system, where ligand binding involves two calcium ions, presents a major challenge. To overcome this, we explore a new variant of the LIE model, where ligand–metal ion interactions are scaled separately. This model also predicts the saccharide binding preference of PA‐IIL on mutation of the receptor, which may be useful for protein engineering of lectins. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Probing the Nature of the Cluster Effect Observed with Synthetic Multivalent Galactosides and Peanut Agglutinin Lectin

We designed a set of multi‐galactosides with valencies ranging from one to seven and different spacer‐arm lengths. The compounds display a high structural homology for a strict assessment of multivalent phenomena. The multimers were first evaluated by an enzyme‐linked lectin assay (ELLA) toward the peanut agglutinin (PNA). The binding affinity was shown to be dependent on the spacer‐arm length, and cluster effects were observed for the galactosides bearing the shortest and the longest linkers. The latter compounds were shown to be much more potent PNA cross‐linkers in a “sandwich assay”. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) experiments also revealed the formation of soluble aggregates between heptavalent derivatives with medium or long linkers and the labeled PNA. ELLA experiments performed with valency‐controlled clusters and labeled lectins are therefore not always devoid from aggregative processes. The precise nature of the multivalent interaction observed by ELLA for the compounds bearing the shortest linkers, which are unable to form PNA aggregates, was further investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The galactosides were grafted onto the tip of a cantilever and the PNA lectin onto a gold surface. Similar unbinding forces were registered when the valency of the ligands was increased, thus showing that the multimers cannot interact more strongly with PNA. Multiple binding events to the PNA were also never observed, thus confirming that a chelate binding mode does not operate with the multivalent galactosides, probably because the linkers are too short. Altogether, these results suggest that the cluster effect that operates in ELLA with the multimers is not related to additional PNA stabilizations and can be ascribed to local concentration effects that favor a dynamic turnover of the tethered galactosides in the PNA binding sites.     

Fucose Binding Motifs on Mucin Core Glycopeptides Impact Bacterial Lectin Recognition**

Mucin glycoproteins are essential components of the mucosal barrier, which protects the host from pathogens. Throughout evolution, bacteria have developed strategies to modulate and penetrate this barrier, and cause virulence by interacting with mucin O-glycans at the epithelial cell-surface. O-fucosylated glycan epitopes on mucins are key ligands of many bacterial lectins. Here, a chemoenzymatic synthesis strategy is described to prepare a library of fucosylated mucin core glycopeptides to enable studies of mucin-interacting and fucose-binding bacterial lectins. Glycan cores with biologically important Lewis and H-antigens were prepared decorating the peptide backbone at different sites and densities. The fucosylated mucin glycopeptides were applied in microarray binding studies to explore the importance of glycan core and peptide backbone presentation of these antigens in binding interactions with the P. aeruginosa lectin LecB and the C. difficile toxin A.     

Fluorescence quenching of triazatruxene-based glycocluster induced by peanut agglutinin lectin

A novel triazatruxene-based fluorescent glycocluster was synthesized and its selective binding interactions with PNA lectin were investigated by fluorescence spectroscopy,CD spectroscopy,and a turbidity assay.The glycocluster exhibited a strong binding affinity for PNA lectin with a Stern-Volmer quenching constant of 5.8×10⁵ mol^-1L     

The Core Fucose on an IgG Antibody is an Endogenous Ligand of Dectin‐1

The core fucose, a major modification of N‐glycans, is implicated in immune regulation, such as the attenuation of the antibody‐dependent cell‐mediated cytotoxicity of antibody drugs and the inhibition of anti‐tumor responses via the promotion of PD‐1 expression on T cells. Although the core fucose regulates many biological processes, no core fucose recognition molecule has been identified in mammals. Herein, we report that Dectin‐1, a known anti‐β‐glucan lectin, recognizes the core fucose on IgG antibodies. A combination of biophysical experiments further suggested that Dectin‐1 recognizes aromatic amino acids adjacent to the N‐terminal asparagine at the glycosylation site as well as the core fucose. Thus, Dectin‐1 appears to be the first lectin‐like molecule involved in the heterovalent and specific recognition of characteristic N‐glycans on antibodies.     

Sugar‐Decorated Sugar Vesicles: Lectin–Carbohydrate Recognition at the Surface of Cyclodextrin Vesicles

An artificial glycocalix self‐assembles when unilamellar bilayer vesicles of amphiphilic β‐cyclodextrins are decorated with maltose and lactose by host–guest interactions. To this end, maltose and lactose were conjugated with adamantane through a tetra(ethyleneglycol) spacer. Both carbohydrate–adamantane conjugates strongly bind to β‐cyclodextrin (K_a≈4×10⁴ M ^?1). The maltose‐decorated vesicles readily agglutinate (aggregate) in the presence of the lectin concanavalin A, whereas the lactose‐decorated vesicles agglutinate in the presence of peanut agglutinin. The orthogonal multivalent interaction in the ternary system of host vesicles, guest carbohydrates, and lectins was investigated by using isothermal titration calorimetry, dynamic light scattering, UV/Vis spectroscopy, and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy. It was shown that agglutination is reversible, and the noncovalent interaction can be suppressed and eliminated by the addition of competitive inhibitors, such as D ‐glucose or β‐cyclodextrin. Also, it was shown that agglutination depends on the surface coverage of carbohydrates on the vesicles.     

Prepolymerization and postpolymerization functionalization approaches to fluorescent conjugated carbazole‐based glycopolymers via “click chemistry”

Facile prepolymerization and postpolymerization functionalization approaches to prepare well‐defined fluorescent conjugated glycopolymers through Cu(I)‐catalyzed azide/alkyne “Click” ligation were explored. Two well‐defined carbazole‐based fluorescent conjugated glycopolymers were readily synthesized based on these strategies and characterized by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, IR spectra, and UV‐vis spectra. The “Click” ligation offers a very effective conjugation method to covalently attach carbohydrate residues to fluorescent conjugated polymers. In addition, the studies of carbohydrate–lectin interactions were performed by titration of concanavalin A (Con A) to D ‐glucose‐bearing poly(anthracene‐alt‐carbazole) copolymer P‐2 resulting in significant fluorescence quenching of the polymer due to carbohydrate–lectin interactions. When peanut agglutinin (PNA) was added, no distinct change in the fluorescent properties of P‐2 was observed. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 2948–2957, 2009     

Purification and Characterization of Lectins from Jute (Chorchorus olitorius) Leaves

Three lectins were isolated from an extract of jute leaves (Chorchorus olitorius) and purified by gel filtration on Sephadex G‐50 of the 100% ammonium sulfate saturated crude extract, followed by ion‐exchange chromatography on DEAE‐cellulose were designated as JLL‐1, JLL‐2 and JLL‐3. All the lectins were homogeneous as judged by SDS‐polyacrylamide slab gel electrophoresis and gave single bands. The molecular weights of the three lectins were estimated by the same method were 35000, 38000 and 42000, respectively. The lectins specifically agglutinated rat red blood cells. The agglutination of JLL‐1 was inhibited by D‐mannose/D‐glucose and their derivatives, whereas D‐galactose was found to be the potent inhibitor for the agglutination of JLL‐2 and JLL‐3. The lectins were glycoprotein in nature with a neutral sugar content of 1.3%, 1.2% and 0.8% for JLL‐1, JLL‐2 and JLL‐3, respectively. The hemagglutinating activity of JLL‐2 was also investigated after the treatment of physico‐chemical agents. The lectin showed maximum activity between the range of pH 7.2–8.0 and the range of temperature of 20‐30 °C. The activity of lectin decreased after treatment with a higher concentration of acetic acid and urea. In the presence EDTA the activity was inhibited while the presence of Ca⁺², Mn⁺² and K⁺ increased the activity of the lectin moderately.     

Fluorinated Carbohydrates as Lectin Ligands: Dissecting Glycan–Cyanovirin Interactions by Using 19F NMR Spectroscopy

NMR spectroscopy and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) are powerful methods to investigate ligand–protein interactions. Here, we present a versatile and sensitive fluorine NMR spectroscopic approach that exploits the ¹⁹F nucleus of ¹⁹F‐labeled carbohydrates as a sensor to study glycan binding to lectins. Our approach is illustrated with the 11 kDa Cyanovirin‐N, a mannose binding anti‐HIV lectin. Two fluoro‐deoxy sugar derivatives, methyl 2‐deoxy‐2‐fluoro‐α‐D ‐mannopyranosyl‐(1→2)‐α‐D ‐mannopyranoside and methyl 2‐deoxy‐2‐fluoro‐α‐D ‐mannopyranosyl‐(1→2)‐α‐D ‐mannopyranosyl‐(1→2)‐α‐D ‐mannopyranoside were utilized. Binding was studied by ¹⁹F NMR spectroscopy of the ligand and ¹H–¹⁵N HSQC NMR spectroscopy of the protein. The NMR data agree well with those obtained from the equivalent reciprocal and direct ITC titrations. Our study shows that the strategic design of fluorinated ligands and fluorine NMR spectroscopy for ligand screening holds great promise for easy and fast identification of glycan binding, as well as for their use in reporting structural and/or electronic perturbations that ensue upon interaction with a cognate lectin.     

Hybridization and Melting Behavior of Peptide Nucleic Acid (PNA) Oligonucleotide Chimeras Conjugated to Gold Nanoparticles

Peptide nucleic acids (PNA) and PNA–DNA chimeras carrying thiol groups were used for surface functionalization of Au nanoparticles. Conjugation of PNA to citrate‐stabilized Au nanoparticles destabilized the nanoparticles causing them to precipitate. Addition of a tail of glutamic acid to the PNA prevented destabilization of the nanoparticles but resulted in loss of interaction with complementary sequences. Importantly, PNA–DNA chimeras gave stable conjugates with Au nanoparticles. The hybridization and melting properties of complexes formed from chimera–nanoparticle conjugates and oligonucleotide–nanoparticle conjugates are described for the first time. Similar to oligonucleotide–nanoparticle conjugates, conjugates with PNA–DNA chimeras gave sharper and more‐defined melting profiles than those obtained with unmodified oligonucleotides. In addition, mismatch discrimination was found to be more efficient than with unmodified oligonucleotides.     

Mechanistic Insight into Nanomolar Binding of Multivalent Neoglycopeptides to Wheat Germ Agglutinin

Multivalent carbohydrate–protein interactions are frequently involved in essential biological recognition processes. Accordingly, multivalency is often also exploited for the design of high‐affinity lectin ligands aimed at the inhibition of such processes. In a previous study (D. Schwefel et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2010 , 132, 8704–8719) we identified a tetravalent cyclopeptide‐based ligand with nanomolar affinity to the model lectin wheat germ agglutinin (WGA). To unravel the structural features of this ligand required for high‐affinity binding to WGA, we synthesized a series of cyclic and linear neoglycopeptides that differ in their conformational freedom as well as the number of GlcNAc residues. Combined evidence from isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), enzyme‐linked lectin assays (ELLA), and dynamic light scattering (DLS) revealed different binding modes of tetra‐ and divalent ligands and that conformational preorganization of the ligands by cyclization is not a prerequisite for achieving high binding affinities. The high affinities of the tetravalent ligands rather stem from their ability to form crosslinks between several WGA molecules. The results illustrate that binding affinities and mechanisms are strongly dependent on the used multivalent system which offers opportunities to tune and control binding processes.     

Toward the Rational Design of Galactosylated Glycoclusters That Target Pseudomonas aeruginosa Lectin A (LecA): Influence of Linker Arms That Lead to Low‐Nanomolar Multivalent Ligands

Anti‐infectious strategies against pathogen infections can be achieved through antiadhesive strategies by using multivalent ligands of bacterial virulence factors. LecA and LecB are lectins of Pseudomonas aeruginosa implicated in biofilm formation. A series of 27 LecA‐targeting glycoclusters have been synthesized. Nine aromatic galactose aglycons were investigated with three different linker arms that connect the central mannopyranoside core. A low‐nanomolar (K_d=19 nm , microarray) ligand with a tyrosine‐based linker arm could be identified in a structure–activity relationship study. Molecular modeling of the glycoclusters bound to the lectin tetramer was also used to rationalize the binding properties observed.     

LECTIN RECEPTORS ON ROD AND CONE MEMBRANES

Abstract— The oligosaccharides of rod and cone membranes were investigated with the aid of fluorescence and ¹²⁵I-labeled lectins. Additionally, the ability of lectins to cause agglutination in rod outer segment (ROS) suspensions was used as an index for the presence of the corresponding lectin receptors. The specificities of lectin-ligand interactions were determined from studies of inhibition by various haptene sugars. The membranes of both rods and cones have receptors for Con A, PNA, RCA-120, RCA-60, SBA and WGA. The affinity of PNA for accessory cones is much higher than for the principal cones. There do not appear to be receptors for UeA and LTA on rods or cones. Additionally, receptors for HPA and DBA were identified on ROS. These results suggest the existence of the following sugar residues:

The binding of Con A and WGA to ROS membrane proteins electrophoresed on SDS-polyacrylamide gels was also investigated. In addition to rhodopsin, these lectins also bind to the 291000-dalton protein, indicating that it is a glycoprotein containing mannose and GlcNAc.     

Synthesis of Homo- and Heterofunctionalized Glycoclusters and Binding to Pseudomonas aeruginosa Lectins PA-IL and PA-IIL

Homo- and heterofunctionalized glycoclusters with galactose and/or fucose residues targeting both PA-IL and PA-IIL lectins of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were synthesized using "Click" chemistry and DNA chemistry. Their binding to lectins (separately or in a mixture) was studied using a DNA Directed Immobilization carbohydrate microarray. Homoglycoclusters bind selectively to their lectin while the heteroglycocluster binds simultaneously both lectins with a slight lower affinity.     

Quantitative evaluation of lectin‐reactive glycoforms of α1‐acid glycoprotein using lectin affinity capillary electrophoresis with fluorescence detection

α₁‐Acid glycoprotein (AGP) was previously shown to be a marker candidate of disease progression and prognosis of patients with malignancies by analysis of its glycoforms via lectins. Herein, affinity capillary electrophoresis of fluorescein‐labeled AGP using lectins with the aid of laser‐induced fluorescence detection was developed for quantitative evaluation of the fractional ratios of concanavalin A‐reactive or Aleuria aurantia lectin‐reactive AGP. Labeled AGP was applied at the anodic end of a fused‐silica capillary (50 μm id, 360 μm od, 27 cm long) coated with linear polyacryloyl‐β‐alanyl‐β‐alanine, and electrophoresis was carried out for about 10 min in 60 mM 3‐morpholinopropane‐1‐sulfonic acid‐NaOH buffer (pH 7.35). Addition of the lectins to the anode buffer resulted in the separation of lectin‐reactive glycoform peaks from lectin‐non‐reactive glycoform peaks. Quantification of the peak area of each group revealed that the percent of lectin‐reactive AGP is independent of a labeling ratio ranging from 0.4 to 1.5 mol fluorescein/mol AGP, i.e. the standard deviation of 0.5% for an average of 59.9% (n=3). In combination with a facile procedure for micro‐purification of AGP from serum, the present procedure, marking the reactivity of AGP with lectins, should be useful in determining the prognosis for a large number of patients with malignancies.     

Mannose‐based graft polyesters with tunable binding affinity to concanavalin A

Glycopolymers have been widely used to understand the interactions between carbohydrates and lectins, which facilitate the diagnosis and detection of disease and pathogens as well as the development of vaccines. While studies have been focused on the correlation of glycopolymer structure and their binding to lectins, graft‐type glycopolyesters are uncommon. Herein, we report the design and synthesis of mannose‐based graft polyesters by “grafting‐from” method and investigate their interactions with Concanavalin A (Con A). As confirmed by ¹H NMR spectroscopy and sulfuric acid‐UV method, graft polyesters with different lengths of mannose graft were successfully synthesized. Our results from turbidimetry binding assay showed that graft polyesters with longer mannose graft exhibit higher initial binding rate (k_i). Isothermal titration calorimetry measurements of these graft polyesters with Con A showed that polymers exhibit higher binding affinity (k_a) with the number of side chain mannose. This study provides understanding of the interaction between Con A and mannose‐based graft polyesters, which can be employed for the development of glycopolymeric therapeutics. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55, 3908–3917     

O‐Mannosylation Affords a Glycopeptide Hydrogel with Inherent Antibacterial Activities against E. coli via Multivalent Interactions between Lectins and Supramolecular Assemblies

Multivalent carbohydrate–lectin interactions play a crucial role in bacterial infection. Biomimicry of multivalent glycosystems represents a major strategy in the repression of bacterial growth. In this study, a new kind of glycopeptide (Naphthyl‐Phe‐Phe‐Ser‐Tyr, NMY) scaffold with mannose modification is designed and synthesized, which is able to perform supramolecular self‐assembly with the assistance of catalytic enzyme, and present multiple mannose ligands on its self‐assembled structure to target mannose‐binding proteins. Relying on multivalent carbohydrate–lectin interactions, the glycopeptide hydrogel is able to bind Escherichia coli (E. coli) in high specificity, and result in bacterial adhesion, membrane disruption and subsequent cell death. In vivo wound healing assays reveal that this glycopeptide hydrogel exhibits considerable potentials for promoting wound healing and preventing E. coli infection in a full‐thickness skin defect mouse model. Therefore, through a specific mannose–lectin interaction, a biocompatible hydrogel with inherent antibacterial activity against E. coli is achieved without the need to resort to antibiotic or antimicrobial agent treatment, highlighting the potential role of sugar‐coated nanomaterials in wound healing and control of bacterial pathogenesis.