Investigation of glycofullerene dynamics by NMR spectroscopy

Org Biomol Chem. 2015 Aug 28;13(32):8750-5. doi: 10.1039/c5ob00929d. Epub 2015 Jul 17.

Abstract

Glycofullerenes, in which carbohydrate molecules are attached via a linker to a [60]fullerene core, facilitate spherical presentation of glyco-based epitopes. We herein investigate the dynamics of two glycofullerenes, having 12 and 36 mannose residues at their periphery, by NMR translational diffusion and quantitative (13)C relaxation studies employing a model-free approach for their interpretation. The sugar residues are shown to be highly flexible entities with S(2) < 0.2 in both compounds. Notably, the larger glycofullerene with longer linkers shows faster internal dynamics and higher flexibility than its smaller counterpart. The dynamics and flexibility as well as the slower translational diffusion of the larger glycofullerene, thereby favoring rebinding to a receptor, may together with its spatial extension explain why it is better than the smaller one at blocking the DC-SIGN receptor and inhibiting the infection by pseudotyped Ebola virus particles.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Carbohydrates / chemistry*
  • Carbon Isotopes
  • Diffusion
  • Fullerenes / chemistry*
  • Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
  • Mannose / chemistry
  • Molecular Dynamics Simulation*

Substances

  • Carbohydrates
  • Carbon Isotopes
  • Fullerenes
  • fullerene C60
  • Mannose