Effect of Acceptor Chain Length and Hydrophobicity on Polymerization Kinetics of the Neisseria meningitidis Group C Polysialyltransferase.

Polysialic acids (PSA) are important extracellular virulence factors of the human pathogens Neisseria meningitidis and Escherichia coli. The importance of these polysaccharides in virulence make the polysialyltransferases (PST) targets for therapeutic drugs and protein engineering to facilitate efficient vaccine production. Here, we have generated recombinant bovine nucleotide monophosphate kinase to facilitate steady state kinetic assays of the PST. We have characterized the N. meningitidis group C (NmC) PST kinetically, using substrate analogues to describe the polymerization reaction. We observed a decrease in Km as the length of the oligo-sialic acid acceptor was increased, indicating a tighter binding of longer oligomers. In addition, we observed a biphasic relationship between kcat and chain length, which can be attributed to a switch in the mechanism of transfer of sialic acid from distributive to processive as the chain length increased above six sialic acid units. Substitution of donor substrate with the analogue CMP-9-F-sialic acid had minimal effect on acceptor Km, but it decreased kcat 6-fold. We propose that this decrease in kcat is caused by a destabilization of the transition state and/or an increase affinity of the product due to presence of the fluoro substituent. The acceptor's hydrophobicity also plays a role in catalysis. The kinetic analysis of the NmC PST with hydrophobic aglycon acceptor substrates indicated that they bind tighter and are turned over at a faster rate than the α-2,9 polysialic acid substrates lacking the hydrophobic end. This finding suggests the presence of a secondary ligand binding site that tethers the acceptor substrate to the enzyme active site.

Utilizing CMP-Sialic Acid Analogs to Unravel Neisseria gonorrhoeae Lipooligosaccharide-Mediated Complement Resistance and Design Novel Therapeutics.

Neisseria gonorrhoeae deploys a novel immune evasion strategy wherein the lacto-N-neotetraose (LNnT) structure of lipooligosaccharide (LOS) is capped by the bacterial sialyltransferase, using host cytidine-5'-monophosphate (CMP)-activated forms of the nine-carbon nonulosonate (NulO) sugar N-acetyl-neuraminic acid (Neu5Ac), a sialic acid (Sia) abundant in humans. This allows evasion of complement-mediated killing by recruiting factor H (FH), an inhibitor of the alternative complement pathway, and by limiting classical pathway activation ("serum-resistance"). We utilized CMP salts of six additional natural or synthetic NulOs, Neu5Gc, Neu5Gc8Me, Neu5Ac9Ac, Neu5Ac9Az, legionaminic acid (Leg5Ac7Ac) and pseudaminic acid (Pse5Ac7Ac), to define structural requirements of Sia-mediated serum-resistance. While all NulOs except Pse5Ac7Ac were incorporated into the LNnT-LOS, only Neu5Gc incorporation yielded high-level serum-resistance and FH binding that was comparable to Neu5Ac, whereas Neu5Ac9Az and Leg5Ac7Ac incorporation left bacteria fully serum-sensitive and did not enhance FH binding. Neu5Ac9Ac and Neu5Gc8Me rendered bacteria resistant only to low serum concentrations. While serum-resistance mediated by Neu5Ac was associated with classical pathway inhibition (decreased IgG binding and C4 deposition), Leg5Ac7Ac and Neu5Ac9Az incorporation did not inhibit the classical pathway. Remarkably, CMP-Neu5Ac9Az and CMP-Leg5Ac7Ac each prevented serum-resistance despite a 100-fold molar excess of CMP-Neu5Ac in growth media. The concomitant presence of Leg5Ac7Ac and Neu5Ac on LOS resulted in uninhibited classical pathway activation. Surprisingly, despite near-maximal FH binding in this instance, the alternative pathway was not regulated and factor Bb remained associated with bacteria. Intravaginal administration of CMP-Leg5Ac7Ac to BALB/c mice infected with gonorrhea (including a multidrug-resistant isolate) reduced clearance times and infection burden. Bacteria recovered from CMP-Leg5Ac7Ac-treated mice were sensitive to human complement ex vivo, simulating in vitro findings. These data reveal critical roles for the Sia exocyclic side-chain in gonococcal serum-resistance. Such CMP-NulO analogs may provide a novel therapeutic strategy against the global threat of multidrug-resistant gonorrhea.

Chemo-enzymatic synthesis of C-9 acetylated sialosides.

A chemo-enzymatic synthesis of [(5-acetamido-9-O-acetyl-3,5-dideoxy-D-glycero-alpha-D-galacto-2-nonulopyranosylonic acid)-(2-->3)-O-(beta-D-galactopyranosyl)-(1-->3)-O-(2-acetamido-2-deoxy-alpha-D-galactopyranosyl)]-l-serine acetate (1) has been accomplished by a regioselective chemical acetylation of Neu5Ac (2) to give 9-O-acetylated sialic acid 3, which was enzymatically converted into CMP-Neu5,9Ac(2) (4) employing a recombinant CMP-sialic acid synthetase from Neisseria meningitis [EC 2.7.7.43]. The resulting compound was then employed for the enzymatic glycosylation of the C-3' hydroxyl of chemically prepared glycosylated amino acid 10 using recombinant rat alpha-(2-->3)-O-sialyltransferase expressed in Spodooptera frugiperda [EC 2.4.99.4] to give, after deprotection of the N(alpha)-benzyloxycarbonyl (CBz)-protecting group of serine, target compound 1. The N(alpha)-CBz-protected intermediate 11 can be employed for the synthesis of glycolipopeptides for immunization purposes.

Chemoenzymatic synthesis of CMP-N-acetyl-7-fluoro-7-deoxy-neuraminic acid.

7-Fluoro sialic acid was prepared and activated as cytidine monophosphate (CMP) ester. The synthesis started with d-glucose, which was efficiently converted into N-acetyl-4-fluoro-4-deoxy-d-mannosamine. Aldolase catalyzed transformation yielded the corresponding fluorinated sialic acid which was activated as CMP ester using three different synthetases in the presence as well as in the absence of pyrophosphatase which possesses inhibitory properties. Finally, conditions were optimized to perform a one-pot reaction starting from fluorinated mannosamine, which yielded the 7-fluoro-7-deoxy-CMP-sialic acid by incubation with three enzymes.

Synthesis of CMP-9''-modified-sialic acids as donor substrate analogues for mammalian and bacterial sialyltransferases.

Cytidine-5'-monophospho-sialic acid (CMP-Neu5Ac) derivatives bearing a phenyl group in which the tether length between the phenyl group and the 9-position of Neu5Ac varied were synthesized and evaluated as substrates for sialyltransferases. In the synthesis of the compounds, a coupling reaction between methyl 5-acetamido-4,7,8-tri-O-acetyl-9-azido-3,5,9-trideoxy-beta-D-glycero-D-galacto-2-nonulopyranosonate and 2-cyanoethyl 2',3'-O,N4, triacetylcytidine-5'-yl N,N-diisopropylphosphoramidite was carried out and the phosphite derivative thus obtained was oxidized and then deprotected to yield CMP-9''-azido-Neu5Ac. Modification of the 9-amino group prepared by reduction of the azido groups was performed by the use of several phenyl-substituted alkylcarboxylic acid derivatives. Using these CMP-9''-modified-Neu5Ac analogues bearing the phenyl-substituted alkyl-amide group, sialyltransferase assays were performed with both rat liver alpha-(2-->6)-sialyltransferase and Photobacterium alpha-(2-->6)-sialyltransferase. These 9-modified analogues could be transferred to disaccharide acceptors, and a practical enzymatic synthesis using CMP-9''-modified-Neu5Ac yielded sialoside analogues and sialylglycoproteins in good yield. These experiments demonstrate that the Photobacterium sialyltransferase can be used in the synthesis of sialoside analogues having a large substituent at the 9-position of Neu5Ac.

Spin-labeled analogs of CMP-NeuAc as NMR probes of the alpha-2,6-sialyltransferase ST6Gal I.

Structural data on mammalian proteins are often difficult to obtain by conventional NMR approaches because of an inability to produce samples with uniform isotope labeling in bacterial expression hosts. Proteins with sparse isotope labels can be produced in eukaryotic hosts by using isotope-labeled forms of specific amino acids, but structural analysis then requires information from experiments other than nuclear Overhauser effects. One source of alternate structural information is distance-dependent perturbation of spin relaxation times by nitroxide spin-labeled analogs of natural protein ligands. Here, we introduce spin-labeled analogs of sugar nucleotide donors for sialyltransferases, specifically, CMP-TEMPO (CMP-4-O-[2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl]) and CMP-4carboxyTEMPO (CMP-4-O-[4-carboxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinine-1-oxyl]). An ability to identify resonances from active site residues and produce distance constraints is illustrated on a (15)N phenylalanine-labeled version of the structurally uncharacterized, alpha-2,6-linked sialyltransferase, ST6Gal I.

Potential sialyltransferase inhibitors based on neuraminyl substitution by hetaryl rings.

Replacement of the neuraminyl residue by a wide range of aryl rings in transition-state analogs of CMP-Neu5Ac led to readily accessible and potent inhibitors of alpha-(2-->6)- and alpha-(2-->3)-sialyltransferases. The synthesis of a series of potential sialyltransferase inhibitors in which the neuraminyl residue is replaced by hetaryl methylphosphonate residues (thiazole, benzothiazole, benzoxazole, benzothiophene and thiophene) is described in this paper.

Chemoenzymatic synthesis of CMP-sialic acid derivatives by a one-pot two-enzyme system: comparison of substrate flexibility of three microbial CMP-sialic acid synthetases.

Three C terminal His6-tagged recombinant microbial CMP-sialic acid synthetases [EC 2.7.7.43] cloned from Neisseria meningitidis group B, Streptococcus agalactiae serotype V, and Escherichia coli K1, respectively, were evaluated for their ability in the synthesis of CMP-sialic acid derivatives in a one-pot two-enzyme system. In this system, N-acetylmannosamine or mannose analogs were condensed with pyruvate, catalyzed by a recombinant sialic acid aldolase [EC 4.1.3.3] cloned from E. coli K12 to provide sialic acid analogs as substrates for the CMP-sialic acid synthetases. The substrate flexibility and the reaction efficiency of the three recombinant CMP-sialic acid synthetases were compared, first by qualitative screening using thin layer chromatography, and then by quantitative analysis using high performance liquid chromatography. The N. meningitidis synthetase was shown to have the highest expression level, the most flexible substrate specificity, and the highest catalytic efficiency among the three synthetases. Finally, eight sugar nucleotides, including cytidine 5'-monophosphate N-acetylneuraminic acid (CMP-Neu5Ac) and its derivatives with substitutions at carbon-5, carbon-8, or carbon-9 of Neu5Ac, were synthesized in a preparative (100-200 mg) scale from their 5- or 6-carbon sugar precursors using the N. meningitidis synthetase and the aldolase.

Regulation of sialic acid O-acetylation in human colon mucosa.

The expression of O-acetylated sialic acids in human colonic mucins is developmentally regulated, and a reduction of O-acetylation has been found to be associated with the early stages of colorectal cancer. Despite this, however, little is known about the enzymatic process of sialic acid O-acetylation in human colonic mucosa. Recently, we have reported on a human colon sialate-7(9)-O-acetyltransferase capable of incorporating acetyl groups into sialic acids at the nucleotide-sugar level [Shen et al., Biol. Chem. 383 (2002), 307-317]. In this report, we show that the CMP-N-acetyl-neuraminic acid (CMP-Neu5Ac) and acetyl-CoA (AcCoA) transporters are critical components for the O-acetylation of CMP-Neu5Ac in Golgi lumen, with specific inhibition of either transporter leading to a reduction in the formation of CMP-5-N-acetyl-9-O-acetyl-neuraminic acid (CMP-Neu5,9Ac2). Moreover, the finding that 5-N-acetyl-9-O-acetyl-neuraminic acid (Neu5,9Ac2 could be transferred from neo-synthesised CMP-Neu5,9Ac2 to endogenous glycoproteins in the same Golgi vesicles, together with the observation that asialofetuin and asialo-human colon mucin are much better acceptors for Neu5,9Ac2 than asialo-bovine submandibular gland mucin, suggests that a sialyltransferase exists that preferentially utilises CMP-Neu5,9Ac2 as the donor substrate, transferring Neu5,9Ac2 to terminal Galbeta1,3(4)R- residues.

Microbial glycosyltransferases for carbohydrate synthesis: alpha-2,3-sialyltransferase from Neisseria gonorrheae.

The alpha-2,3-sialyltransferase from Neisseria gonorrheae was overproduced in E. coli for exploitation of its substrate specificity and synthetic utility. Several potential acceptor substrates were synthesized in this study, including mono- and oligosaccharides, glycolipids, and glycopeptides and their sulfate derivatives. Some CMP-sialic acid derivatives with modification at the C-5 position were also prepared for evaluation as donor substrates. It was found that the enzyme exhibits a broader acceptor substrate specificity when compared to other sialyltransferases, though the donor specificity is quite limited. Application of the enzyme to the preparative synthesis of representative sialyl glycoconjugates has been demonstrated. On the basis of this work and the work of others, this enzyme is the most versatile and synthetically useful among all sialyltransferases known to date, especially for the synthesis of sulfate-containing glycoconjugates.

Synthesis of sialic acid-containing nucleotide sugars: CMP-sialic acid analogs.

Syntheses of some sialic acid-containing nucleotide sugars are reported. The reaction of methyl[(2-hydroxy)ethyl 5-acetamido-4,7,8,9-tetra-O-acetyl-3,5-dideoxy-D-glycero-alpha-D-galacto -2- nonulopyranosid]onate (4) with various fully protected hydrogen phosphonates of nucleotides (5a-c) in the presence of 2,4,6-triisopropylbenzenesulfonyl chloride (TPS-Cl), gave, after oxidation and deprotection, the corresponding sialic acid-containing nucleotide sugar analogs (8a-c).

CMP-N-acetylneuraminic acid synthetase of Escherichia coli: high level expression, purification and use in the enzymatic synthesis of CMP-N-acetylneuraminic acid and CMP-neuraminic acid derivatives.

The gene encoding CMP-N-acetylneuraminic acid (CMP-NeuAc) synthetase (EC 2.7.7.43) in Escherichia coli serotype O7 K1 was isolated and overexpressed in E.coli W3110. Maximum expression of 8-10% of the soluble E.coli protein was achieved by placing the gene with an engineered 5'-terminus and Shine-Dalgarno sequence into a pKK223 vector derivative behind the tac promoter. The overexpressed synthetase was purified to greater than 95% homogeneity in a single step by chromatography on high titre Orange A Matrex dye resin. Enzyme purified by this method was used directly for the synthesis of CMP-NeuAc and derivatives. The enzymatic synthesis of CMP-NeuAc was carried out on a multigram scale using equimolar CTP and N-acetylneuraminic acid as substrates. The resultant CMP-NeuAc, isolated as its disodium salt by ethanol precipitation, was prepared in an overall yield of 94% and was judged to be greater than 95% pure by 1H NMR analysis. N-Carbomethoxyneuraminic acid and N-carbobenzyloxyneuraminic acid were also found to be substrates of the enzyme; 5-azidoneuraminic acid was not a substrate of the enzyme. N-Carbomethoxyneuraminic acid was coupled to CMP at a rate similar to that observed with NeuAc, whereas N-carbobenzyloxyneuraminic acid was coupled greater than 100-fold more slowly. The high level of expression achieved with the E.coli synthetase, together with the high degree of purity readily obtainable from crude cell extracts, make the recombinant bacterial enzyme the preferred catalyst for the enzymatic synthesis of CMP-N-acetylneuraminic acid.