A versatile strategy to synthesize N-methyl-anthranilic acid-labelled glycoprobes for fluorescence-based screening assays.

Here we propose a general strategy to label carbohydrates with N-methyl-anthranilic acid at the anomeric position. Through two examples, we demonstrate that the generated glycoprobes are suitable for fluorescence-based binding/competition assays. Our approach is expected to readily generate series of glycoprobes dedicated to screening assays for the discovery of drugs targeting carbohydrate-protein interactions.

Synthesis of a library of variously modified 4-methylumbelliferyl xylosides and a structure-activity study of human ß4GalT7.

Proteoglycans (PGs) are complex macromolecules that are composed of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) chains covalently attached to a core protein through a tetrasaccharide linker. The biosynthesis of PGs is complex and involves a large number of glycosyltranferases. Here we present a structure-activity study of human ß4GalT7, which transfers the first Gal residue onto a xyloside moiety of the linkage region. An efficient and regiocontrolled synthesis of a library of modified analogs of 4-methylumbelliferyl xyloside (XylMU) is reported herein. Hydroxyl groups at the position C-2, C-3 or C-4 have been epimerized and/or replaced by a hydrogen or a fluorine, while the anomeric oxygen was replaced by either a sulfur or a sulfone. The effect of these compounds on human ß4GalT7 activity in vitro and on GAG biosynthesis in cellulo was then evaluated.

'Click'-xylosides as initiators of the biosynthesis of glycosaminoglycans: Comparison of mono-xylosides with xylobiosides.

Different mono-xylosides and their corresponding xylobiosides obtained by a chemo-enzymatic approach featuring various substituents attached to a triazole ring were probed as priming agents for glycosaminoglycan (GAG) biosynthesis in the xylosyltransferase-deficient pgsA-745 Chinese hamster ovary cell line. Xylosides containing a hydrophobic aglycone moiety were the most efficient priming agents. Mono-xylosides induced higher GAG biosynthesis in comparison with their corresponding xylobiosides. The influence of the degree of polymerization of the carbohydrate part on the priming activity was investigated through different experiments. We demonstrated that in case of mono-xylosides, the cellular uptake as well as the affinity and the catalytic efficiency of ß-1,4-galactosyltransferase 7 were higher than for xylobiosides. Altogether, these results indicate that hydrophobicity of the aglycone and degree of polymerization of glycone moiety were critical factors for an optimal priming activity for GAG biosynthesis.

Probing the acceptor active site organization of the human recombinant ß1,4-galactosyltransferase 7 and design of xyloside-based inhibitors.

Among glycosaminoglycan (GAG) biosynthetic enzymes, the human ß1,4-galactosyltransferase 7 (hß4GalT7) is characterized by its unique capacity to take over xyloside derivatives linked to a hydrophobic aglycone as substrates and/or inhibitors. This glycosyltransferase is thus a prime target for the development of regulators of GAG synthesis in therapeutics. Here, we report the structure-guided design of hß4GalT7 inhibitors. By combining molecular modeling, in vitro mutagenesis, and kinetic measurements, and in cellulo analysis of GAG anabolism and decorin glycosylation, we mapped the organization of the acceptor binding pocket, in complex with 4-methylumbelliferone-xylopyranoside as prototype substrate. We show that its organization is governed, on one side, by three tyrosine residues, Tyr(194), Tyr(196), and Tyr(199), which create a hydrophobic environment and provide stacking interactions with both xylopyranoside and aglycone rings. On the opposite side, a hydrogen-bond network is established between the charged amino acids Asp(228), Asp(229), and Arg(226), and the hydroxyl groups of xylose. We identified two key structural features, i.e. the strategic position of Tyr(194) forming stacking interactions with the aglycone, and the hydrogen bond between the His(195) nitrogen backbone and the carbonyl group of the coumarinyl molecule to develop a tight binder of hß4GalT7. This led to the synthesis of 4-deoxy-4-fluoroxylose linked to 4-methylumbelliferone that inhibited hß4GalT7 activity in vitro with a Ki 10 times lower than the Km value and efficiently impaired GAG synthesis in a cell assay. This study provides a valuable probe for the investigation of GAG biology and opens avenues toward the development of bioactive compounds to correct GAG synthesis disorders implicated in different types of malignancies.