Synthesis and immunological characterization of modified hyaluronic acid hexasaccharide conjugates.

The synthesis of a tetanus toxoid (TT)-conjugate of a hyaluronic acid (HA) hexasaccharide is described. The compound was intended for use in monitoring HA levels as a disease marker and as a potential vaccine against Group A Streptococcus (GAS) infections. We also report the synthesis of a chemically modified HA-hexasaccharide-TT conjugate in which the N-acetyl moiety of the N-acetyl-D-glucosamine residue is replaced with an N-propionyl unit in order to enhance immunogenicity. The oligosaccharides are synthesized in a convergent manner. The TT-conjugate syntheses rely on the reaction of the amines on the 6-aminohexyl aglycon of the hexasaccharides with diethyl squarate to give the monoethyl squarate adducts. Subsequent reactions with lysine ε-amino groups on TT then give the glycoconjugates containing an average of 8 hexasaccharide haptens per TT molecule. Immunological studies in mice show very similar antibody responses with both conjugates, suggesting that the N-acetyl groups of the glucosaminyl residues of the HA-hexasaccharide are not a critical part of the epitope recognized by the anti-HA polyclonal immune response. Furthermore, it would appear that the N-acyl moieties are not in close contact with the amino acid residues of the antibody combining sites.

Investigation of the binding of a carbohydrate-mimetic peptide to its complementary anticarbohydrate antibody by STD-NMR spectroscopy and molecular-dynamics simulations.

Saturation transfer difference (STD)-NMR spectroscopy was used to probe experimentally the bioactive solution conformation of the carbohydrate mimic MDWNMHAA 1 of the O-polysaccharide of Shigella flexneri Y when bound to its complementary antibody, mAb SYA/J6. Molecular dynamics simulations using the ZymeCAD™ Molecular Dynamics platform were also undertaken to give a more accurate picture of the conformational flexibility and the possibilities for bound ligand conformations. The ligand topology, or the dynamic epitope, was mapped with the CORCEMA-ST (COmplete Relaxation and Conformational Exchange Matrix Analysis of Saturation Transfer) program that calculates a total matrix analysis of relaxation and exchange effects to generate predicted STD-NMR intensities from simulation. The comparison of these predicted STD enhancements with experimental data was used to select a representative binding mode. A protocol that employed theoretical STD effects calculated at snapshots during the entire course of a molecular dynamics (MD) trajectory of the peptide bound to the Fv portion of the antibody, and not the averaged atomic positions of receptor-ligand complexes, was also examined. In addition, the R factor was calculated on the basis of STD (fit) to avoid T1 bias, and an effective R factor, R(eff), was defined such that if the calculated STD (fit) for proton k was within error of the experimental STD (fit) for proton k, then that calculated STD (fit) for proton k was not included in the calculation of the R factor. This protocol was effective in deriving the antibody-bound solution conformation of the peptide which also differed from the bound conformation determined by X-ray crystallography; however, several discrepancies between experimental and calculated STD (fit) values were observed. The bound conformation was therefore further refined with a simulated annealing refinement protocol known as STD-NMR intensity-restrained CORCEMA optimization (SICO) to give a more accurate representation of the bound peptide epitope. Further optimization was required in this case, but a satisfactory correlation between experimental and calculated STD values was obtained. Attempts were also made to obtain STD enhancements with a synthetic pentasaccharide hapten, corresponding to the O-polysaccharide, while bound to the antibody. However, unfavorable kinetics of binding in this system prevented sufficient STD build-up, which, in turn, hindered a rigorous analysis via full STD build-up curves.

WaterLOGSY NMR experiments in conjunction with molecular-dynamics simulations identify immobilized water molecules that bridge peptide mimic MDWNMHAA to anticarbohydrate antibody SYA/J6.

X-ray crystallographic data of the carbohydrate mimic MDWNMHAA when bound to an anti-Shigella flexneri Y mAb SYA/J6 indicate the immobilization of water molecules, that is, the presence of "bound" waters, in the active site. Water Ligand Observed via Gradient Spectroscopy (WaterLOGSY) was used in conjunction with saturation transfer difference (STD)-NMR spectroscopy to probe the existence of immobilized water molecules in the complex of MDWNMHAA 1 bound to mAb SYA/J6. Molecular dynamics simulations using the ZymeCAD Molecular Dynamics platform were then used to specify the likely locations of these water molecules. Of note, those waters involved in providing complementarity between the peptide and mAb SYA/J6 remained throughout the course of the simulation. Together, the experimental and computational protocols have been used to identify the bound water molecules present in the antibody-peptide complex.

STD-NMR studies of two acceptor substrates of GlfT2, a galactofuranosyltransferase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis: epitope mapping studies.

The major structural component of the mycobacterial cell wall, the mycolyl-arabinogalactan-peptidoglycan complex, possesses a galactan core composed of approximately 30 galactofuranosyl (Galf) resides attached via alternating beta-(1-->6) and beta-(1-->5) linkages. Recent studies have shown that the entire galactan is synthesized by two bifunctional galactofuranosyltransferases, GlfT1 and GlfT2. We report here saturation transfer difference (STD) NMR studies GlfT2 using two trisaccharide acceptor substrates, beta-D-Galf-(1-->6)-beta-D-Galf-(1-->5)-beta-D-Galf-O(CH2)7CH3 (2) and beta-D-Galf-(1-->5)-beta-D-Galf-(1-->6)-beta-D-Galf-O(CH2)7CH3 (3), as well as the donor substrate for the enzyme, UDP-Galf. Epitope mapping demonstrated a greater enhancement toward the 'reducing' ends of both trisaccharides, and that UDP-galactofuranose (UDP-Galf) made more intimate contacts through its nucleotide moiety. This observation is consistent with the greater flexibility required within the active site of the reaction between the growing polymer acceptor and the UDP-Galf donor. The addition of UDP-Galf to either 2 or 3 in the presence of GlfT2 generated a tetrasaccharide product, indicating that the enzyme was catalytically active.

STD-NMR studies suggest that two acceptor substrates for GlfT2, a bifunctional galactofuranosyltransferase required for the biosynthesis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis arabinogalactan, compete for the same binding site.

The mycobacterial cell wall is a complex architecture, which has, as its major structural component, a lipidated polysaccharide covalently bound to peptidoglycan. This structure, termed the mycolyl-arabinogalactan-peptidoglycan complex, possesses a core galactan moiety composed of approximately 30 galactofuranosyl (Galf) resides attached via alternating beta-(1-->6) and beta-(1-->5) linkages. Recent studies have shown that the entire galactan is synthesized by the action of only two bifunctional galactofuranosyltransferases, GlfT1 and GlfT2. We report here saturation-transfer difference (STD) NMR spectroscopy studies with GlfT2 using two trisaccharide acceptor substrates, beta-D-Galf-(1-->6)-beta-D-Galf-(1-->5)-beta-D-Galf-O(CH(2))(7)CH(3) (2) and beta-D-Galf-(1-->5)-beta-D-Galf-(1-->6)-beta-D-Galf-O(CH(2))(7)CH(3) (3), as well as the donor substrate for the enzyme, UDP-Galf. Competition STD-NMR titration experiments and saturation transfer double difference (STDD) experiments with 2 and 3 were undertaken to explore the bifunctionality of this enzyme, in particular to answer whether one or two active sites are responsible for the formation of both beta-(1-->5)- and beta-(1-->6)-Galf linkages. It was demonstrated that 2 and 3 bind competitively at the same site; this suggests that GlfT2 has one active site pocket capable of catalyzing both beta-(1-->5) and beta-(1-->6) galactofuranosyl transfer reactions. The addition of UDP-Galf to GlfT2 in the presence of either 2 or 3 generated a tetrasaccharide product; this indicates that the enzyme was catalytically active under the conditions at which the STD-NMR experiments were carried out.

Inhibition of recombinant human maltase glucoamylase by salacinol and derivatives.

Inhibitors targeting pancreatic alpha-amylase and intestinal alpha-glucosidases delay glucose production following digestion and are currently used in the treatment of Type II diabetes. Maltase-glucoamylase (MGA), a family 31 glycoside hydrolase, is an alpha-glucosidase anchored in the membrane of small intestinal epithelial cells responsible for the final step of mammalian starch digestion leading to the release of glucose. This paper reports the production and purification of active human recombinant MGA amino terminal catalytic domain (MGAnt) from two different eukaryotic cell culture systems. MGAnt overexpressed in Drosophila cells was of quality and quantity suitable for kinetic and inhibition studies as well as future structural studies. Inhibition of MGAnt was tested with a group of prospective alpha-glucosidase inhibitors modeled after salacinol, a naturally occurring alpha-glucosidase inhibitor, and acarbose, a currently prescribed antidiabetic agent. Four synthetic inhibitors that bind and inhibit MGAnt activity better than acarbose, and at comparable levels to salacinol, were found. The inhibitors are derivatives of salacinol that contain either a selenium atom in place of sulfur in the five-membered ring, or a longer polyhydroxylated, sulfated chain than salacinol. Six-membered ring derivatives of salacinol and compounds modeled after miglitol were much less effective as MGAnt inhibitors. These results provide information on the inhibitory profile of MGAnt that will guide the development of new compounds having antidiabetic activity.

Synthesis of alkylated deoxynojirimycin and 1,5-dideoxy-1,5-iminoxylitol analogues: polar side-chain modification, sulfonium and selenonium heteroatom variants, conformational analysis, and evaluation as glycosidase inhibitors.

The syntheses of N-alkylated deoxynojirimycin and 1,5-dideoxy-1,5-iminoxylitol derivatives having either a D- or an L-erythritol-3-sulfate functionalized N-substituent are reported. The alkylating agent used was a cyclic sulfate derivative, whereby selective attack of the nitrogen atom at the least hindered primary center afforded the desired ammonium salt. In aqueous solution, these salts were configurationally labile at the ammonium center. Sulfonium and/or selenonium analogues of the ammonium salts were prepared by analogous reactions. The chalcogen salts were obtained as mixtures of diastereomers, separable in some cases, differing only in the stereochemistry at the configurationally stable sulfur or selenium atoms. Proof of configuration and conformation of each compound was obtained by detailed NMR experiments. The compounds are six-membered ring analogues of salacinol, a known sulfonium-salt glucosidase inhibitor. Evaluation of the target compounds for enzyme inhibition of the glucosidase enzyme glucoamylase G2 indicated that these compounds were either inactive or, at best, only weak inhibitors of maltose hydrolysis.