Synthesis and the Crystal Structure of a New Chiral 1D Metal-Organic Coordination Polymer Based on L-Prolineamide-Substituted Diarylacetylenedicarboxylic Acid Derivative.

The new homochiral 1D metal-organic coordination polymer [Cu2(EDPB)•H2O]n was synthesized starting from the original 3,3'-ethyne-1,2-diylbis[6-(L-prolylamino)benzoic acid] (H4EDPB). The unique crystal structure of the new compound was established by powder X-ray diffraction. The [Cu2(EDPB)•H2O]n system shows catalytic activity and enantioselectivity in a Henry reaction of p-nitrobenzaldehyde with nitromethane.

Group A, B, C, and G Streptococcus Lancefield antigen biosynthesis is initiated by a conserved α-d-GlcNAc-ß-1,4-l-rhamnosyltransferase.

Group A carbohydrate (GAC) is a bacterial peptidoglycan-anchored surface rhamnose polysaccharide (RhaPS) that is essential for growth of Streptococcus pyogenes and contributes to its ability to infect the human host. In this study, using molecular and synthetic biology approaches, biochemistry, radiolabeling techniques, and NMR and MS analyses, we examined the role of GacB, encoded in the S. pyogenes GAC gene cluster, in the GAC biosynthesis pathway. We demonstrate that GacB is the first characterized α-d-GlcNAc-ß-1,4-l-rhamnosyltransferase that synthesizes the committed step in the biosynthesis of the GAC virulence determinant. Importantly, the substitution of S. pyogenes gacB with the homologous gene from Streptococcus agalactiae (Group B Streptococcus), Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus (Group C Streptococcus), Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis (Group G Streptococcus), or Streptococcus mutans complemented the GAC biosynthesis pathway. These results, combined with those from extensive in silico studies, reveal a common phylogenetic origin of the genes required for this priming step in >40 pathogenic species of the Streptococcus genus, including members from the Lancefield Groups B, C, D, E, G, and H. Importantly, this priming step appears to be unique to streptococcal ABC transporter-dependent RhaPS biosynthesis, whereas the Wzx/Wzy-dependent streptococcal capsular polysaccharide pathways instead require an α-d-Glc-ß-1,4-l-rhamnosyltransferase. The insights into the RhaPS priming step obtained here open the door to targeting the early steps of the group carbohydrate biosynthesis pathways in species of the Streptococcus genus of high clinical and veterinary importance.

Biosynthesis of the Common Polysaccharide Antigen of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1: Characterization and Role of GDP-D-Rhamnose:GlcNAc/GalNAc-Diphosphate-Lipid α1,3-D-Rhamnosyltransferase WbpZ.

UNLABELLED: The opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa produces two major cell surface lipopolysaccharides, characterized by distinct O antigens, called common polysaccharide antigen (CPA) and O-specific antigen (OSA). CPA contains a polymer of D-rhamnose (D-Rha) in α1-2 and α1-3 linkages. Three putative glycosyltransferase genes, wbpX, wbpY, and wbpZ, are part of the CPA biosynthesis cluster. To characterize the enzymatic function of the wbpZ gene product, we chemically synthesized the donor substrate GDP-D-Rha and enzymatically synthesized GDP-D-[(3)H]Rha. Using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, we showed that WbpZ transferred one D-Rha residue from GDP-D-Rha in α1-3 linkage to both GlcNAc- and GalNAc-diphosphate-lipid acceptor substrates. WbpZ is also capable of transferring D-mannose (D-Man) to these acceptors. Therefore, WbpZ has a relaxed specificity with respect to both acceptor and donor substrates. The diphosphate group of the acceptor, however, is required for activity. WbpZ does not require divalent metal ion for activity and exhibits an unusually high pH optimum of 9. WbpZ from PAO1 is therefore a GDP-D-Rha:GlcNAc/GalNAc-diphosphate-lipid α1,3-D-rhamnosyltransferase that has significant activity of GDP-D-Man:GlcNAc/GalNAc-diphosphate-lipid α1,3-D-mannosyltransferase. We used site-directed mutagenesis to replace the Asp residues of the two DXD motifs with Ala. Neither of the mutant constructs of wbpZ (D172A or D254A) could be used to rescue CPA biosynthesis in the ΔwbpZ knockout mutant in a complementation assay. This suggested that D172 and D254 are essential for WbpZ function. This work is the first detailed characterization study of a D-Rha-transferase and a critical step in the development of CPA synthesis inhibitors. IMPORTANCE: This is the first characterization of a D-rhamnosyltransferase and shows that it is essential in Pseudomonas aeruginosa for the synthesis of the common polysaccharide antigen.

Biochemical characterization of WbdN, a ß1,3-glucosyltransferase involved in O-antigen synthesis in enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157.

The enterohemorrhagic O157 strain of Escherichia coli, which is one of the most well-known bacterial pathogens, has an O-antigen repeating unit structure with the sequence [-2-d-Rha4NAcα1-3-l-Fucα1-4-d-Glcß1-3-d-GalNAcα1-]. The O-antigen gene cluster of E. coli O157 contains the genes responsible for the assembly of this repeating unit and includes wbdN. In spite of cloning many O-antigen genes, biochemical characterization has been done on very few enzymes involved in O-antigen synthesis. In this work, we expressed the wbdN gene in E. coli BL21, and the His-tagged protein was purified. WbdN activity was characterized using the donor substrate UDP-[(14)C]Glc and the synthetic acceptor substrate GalNAcα-O-PO(3)-PO(3)-(CH(2))(11)-O-Ph. The enzyme product was isolated by high pressure liquid chromatography, and mass spectrometry showed that one Glc residue was transferred to the acceptor by WbdN. Nuclear magnetic resonance analysis of the product structure indicated that Glc was ß1-3 linked to GalNAc. WbdN contains a conserved DxD motif and requires divalent metal ions for full activity. WbdN activity has an optimal pH between 7 and 8 and is highly specific for UDP-Glc as the donor substrate. GalNAcα derivatives lacking the diphosphate group were inactive as substrates, and the enzyme did not transfer Glc to GlcNAcα-O-PO(3)-PO(3)-(CH(2))(11)-O-Ph. Our results illustrate that WbdN is a specific UDP-Glc:GalNAcα-diphosphate-lipid ß1,3-Glc-transferase. The enzyme is a target for the development of inhibitors to block O157-antigen synthesis.

Optically active derivatives of terephthalic acid: four crystal structures from two powder patterns.

A novel important class of nanoporous crystalline solids, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), composed of organic ligands (linkers) and metal ions, is now considered as a platform for the development of various functional hybrid materials. In order to design new MOF-based asymmetric catalysts, two terephthalic acid derivatives, namely 2-{[1-(1-tert-butoxycarbonyl)-L-prolyl]amino}terephthalic acid, C18H22N2O7, (1), and 2-(L-prolylamino)terephthalic acid, C13H14N2O5, (2), which could find potential applications as chiral linkers for the construction of enantioselective MOFs, were synthesized and their powder samples were measured at synchrotron station ID22 (ESRF). Each sample contained two unknown crystalline phases, so four new crystal structures were determined, namely, the 2.24-hydrate of (1), (1a) (space group C2221), and the 2.08-hydrate of (1), (1b) (P2221), which are crystallohydrates, and two polymorphs of (2), i.e. (2a) (C2221) and (2b) (P212121), and were validated with DFT-d (dispersion-corrected density functional theory) optimizations.

Synthesis of a fluorescent acceptor substrate for glycosyltransferases involved in the assembly of O-antigens of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157 and O5.

The assembly of the repeating units of O-antigens in Gram negative bacteria is catalyzed by specific glycosyltransferases. Previously we used GlcNAc/GalNAcα-diphosphate-phenoxyundecyl as natural acceptor substrate analogs in assays of the transfer of radioactive sugars by bacterial glycosyltransferases. In order to develop new, fluorescence based assays we have synthesized a fluorescent acceptor P¹-[11-(anthracen-9-ylmethoxy)undecyl]-P²-(2-acetamido-2-deoxy-α-D-galactopyranosyl) diphosphate and have shown that the compound was an excellent acceptor for glucosyltransferase WbdN from Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157 and for galactosyltransferase WbwC from E. coli O5. This is the first report of the Gal-transferase activity of the wbwC gene product of E.coli O5. The presence of the fluorescent label in the acceptor molecule allows the detection of glycosyltransferase reaction products with high sensitivity, eliminating the need for radioactive nucleotide sugars.

11-Phenoxyundecyl phosphate as a 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-α-d-glucopyranosyl phosphate acceptor in O-antigen repeating unit assembly of Salmonella arizonae O:59.

A synthesis of 11-phenoxyundecyl phosphate and its biochemical transformation (using GlcNAc-P transferase from Salmonella arizonae O:59 membranes catalysing transfer of GlcNc-phosphate from UDP-GlcNAc on lipid-phosphate) into P(1)-11-phenoxyundecyl, P(2)-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-α-D-glucopyranosyl diphosphate are described.

Structural studies and mechanism of Saccharomyces cerevisiae dolichyl-phosphate-mannose synthase: insights into the initial step of synthesis of dolichyl-phosphate-linked oligosaccharide chains in membranes of endoplasmic reticulum.

Dolichyl-phosphate-mannose (Dol-P-Man) synthase catalyzes the reversible formation of a key intermediate that is involved as a mannosyl donor in at least three different pathways for the synthesis of glycoconjugates important for eukaryotic development and viability. The enzyme is found associated with membranes of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), where it transfers mannose from the water soluble cytoplasmic donor, guanosine 5'-diphosphate (GDP)-Man, to the membrane-bound, extremely hydrophobic, and long-chain polyisoprenoid acceptor, dolichyl-phosphate (Dol-P). The enzyme from Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been utilized to investigate the structure and activity of the protein and interactions of the enzyme with Dol-P and synthetic Dol-P analogs containing fluorescent probes. These interactions have been explored utilizing fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) to establish intramolecular distances within the protein molecule as well as intermolecular distances to determine the localization of the active site and the hydrophobic substrate on the enzyme's surface. A three-dimensional (3D) model of the enzyme was produced with bound substrates, Dol-P, GDP-Man, and divalent cations to delineate the binding sites for these substrates as well as the catalytic site. The FRET analysis was used to characterize the functional properties of the enzyme and to evaluate its modeled structure. The data allowed for proposing a molecular mechanism of catalysis as an inverting mechanism of mannosyl residue transfer.