Chemoenzymatic Synthesis of Homogeneous Heparan Sulfate and Chondroitin Sulfate Chimeras

ACS Chem Biol. 2022 May 20;17(5):1207-1214. doi: 10.1021/acschembio.2c00146. Epub 2022 Apr 14.

Abstract

Heparan sulfate (HS) and chondroitin sulfate (CS) are two structurally distinct natural polysaccharides. Here, we report the synthesis of a library of seven structurally homogeneous HS and CS chimeric dodecasaccharides (12-mers). The synthesis was accomplished using six HS biosynthetic enzymes and four CS biosynthetic enzymes. The chimeras contain a CS domain on the reducing end and a HS domain on the nonreducing end. The synthesized chimeras display anticoagulant activity as measured by both in vitro and ex vivo experiments. Furthermore, the anticoagulant activity of H/C 12-mer 5 is reversible by protamine, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved polypeptide to neutralize anticoagulant drug heparin. Our findings demonstrate the synthesis of unnatural HS-CS chimeric oligosaccharides using natural biosynthetic enzymes, offering a new class of glycan molecules for biological research.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Anticoagulants
  • Chimera
  • Chondroitin Sulfates* / chemistry
  • Heparitin Sulfate / chemistry
  • Sulfotransferases* / chemistry

Substances

  • Anticoagulants
  • Chondroitin Sulfates
  • Heparitin Sulfate
  • Sulfotransferases