Chemoenzymatic Methods for the Synthesis of Glycoproteins

Chem Rev. 2018 Sep 12;118(17):8359-8413. doi: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.8b00238. Epub 2018 Aug 24.

Abstract

Glycosylation is one of the most prevalent posttranslational modifications that profoundly affects the structure and functions of proteins in a wide variety of biological recognition events. However, the structural complexity and heterogeneity of glycoproteins, usually resulting from the variations of glycan components and/or the sites of glycosylation, often complicates detailed structure-function relationship studies and hampers the therapeutic applications of glycoproteins. To address these challenges, various chemical and biological strategies have been developed for producing glycan-defined homogeneous glycoproteins. This review highlights recent advances in the development of chemoenzymatic methods for synthesizing homogeneous glycoproteins, including the generation of various glycosynthases for synthetic purposes, endoglycosidase-catalyzed glycoprotein synthesis and glycan remodeling, and direct enzymatic glycosylation of polypeptides and proteins. The scope, limitation, and future directions of each method are discussed.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Catalysis
  • Glycoproteins / biosynthesis
  • Glycoproteins / chemical synthesis*
  • Glycoproteins / chemistry
  • Glycoside Hydrolases / chemistry*
  • Glycoside Hydrolases / genetics
  • Glycosylation
  • Polysaccharides / chemistry*
  • Protein Processing, Post-Translational
  • Recombinant Proteins / chemistry
  • Recombinant Proteins / genetics
  • Substrate Specificity

Substances

  • Glycoproteins
  • Polysaccharides
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Glycoside Hydrolases