arabinofuranose and arabinogalactan

D-Arabinofuranose is a major glycosyl constituent of mycobacteria found in two essential cell envelope heteropolysaccharides, arabinogalactan and lipoarabinomannan. Seven different arabinosyltransferases at least are required to synthesize the arabinan domain of these two major glycans. Because of their interest from the perspective of drug development, these enzymes have been the object of intense investigations. In this chapter, we describe the protocols used to perform nonradioactive arabinosyltransferase assays with synthetic acceptor and donor substrates and characterize the enzymatic products of the reactions by mass spectrometry.

Topics: Arabinose; Bacterial Proteins; Biosynthetic Pathways; Cell Wall; Chromatography, Liquid; Enzyme Assays; Galactans; Lipopolysaccharides; Mass Spectrometry; Mycobacterium smegmatis; Pentosyltransferases; Substrate Specificity

Previous studies have demonstrated that cell wall arabinogalactan from mycobacteria possesses a single galactosamine (GalN) residue. This moiety, which is one of the rare natural occurrences of galactosamine lacking an acetyl group on the nitrogen, has been identified as a pendant substituent attached to a highly branched arabinofuranose residue in the arabinan core. However, the stereochemistry by which the GalN residue is linked to the polysaccharide remains unknown. We report here the synthesis of two tetrasaccharides, 1 and 2, consisting of GalN attached through either an α- or β-linkage to a trisaccharide fragment of mycobacterial arabinan. These molecules represent the first synthetic GalN-containing oligosaccharides, and the preparation of both targets was achieved from a single donor species by modulation of the reaction solvent. Comparison of the NMR spectra of 1 and 2 with those obtained from a sample derived from the natural glycan revealed that the GalN residue in the polysaccharide is attached via an α-linkage.

Topics: Arabinose; Galactans; Galactosamine; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Molecular Sequence Data; Mycobacterium; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Oligosaccharides; Polysaccharides; Stereoisomerism

Mycolyl-arabinogalactan (mAG) complex is a major component of the cell wall of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis disease. Due to the essentiality of the cell wall for mycobacterium viability, knowledge of the biosynthesis of the arabinogalactan is crucial for the development of new therapeutic agents. In this context, we have synthesized two new branched arabinogalactafuranose tetrasaccharides, decenyl β-D-Galf-(1→5)-β-D-Galf-(1→6)[α-D-Araf(1→5)]-β-D-Galf (1) and decenyl β-D-Galf-(1→6)-[α-D-Araf-(1→5)]-β-D-Galf-(1→5)-β-D-Galf (2), as interesting tools for arabinofuranosyl transferase studies. The aldonolactone strategy for the introduction of the internal d-Galf was employed, allowing the construction of oligosaccharides from the non-reducing to the reducing end. Moreover, a one-pot procedure was developed for the synthesis of trisaccharide lactone 21, precursor of 2, which involved a glycosylation-deprotection-glycosylation sequence, through the use of TMSOTf as catalyst of the trichloroacetimidate method as well as promoter of TBDMS deprotection.

Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Arabinose; Furans; Galactans; Galactose; Molecular Structure

Arabinogalactan (AG) of mycobacterial cell wall consists of arabinan region, galactan region and disaccharide linker. The arabinan is composed of D-arabinofuranose residues, and decaprenyphosphoryl-D-arabinose (DPA) is the donor of the D-arabinofuranose residues. DPA is formed from phosphoribose diphosphate (PRPP) in a four-step process catalyzed by transferase, phosphatase and epimerase, respectively. Mycobacterium tuberculosis Rv3806c has been identified as PRPP: decaprenyl-phosphate 5-phosphoribosyltransferase, and heteromeric Rv3790/Rv3791 has epimerase activity. Rv3807c is putative phospholipid phosphatase. However, there is no direct biochemical evidence since expression of Rv3807c has been unsuccessful. Mycobacterium smegmatis MSMEG_6402 is ortholog of Rv3807c. To investigate the function of MSMEG_6402 on AG biosynthesis, a conditional MSMEG_6402 gene knock out (M. sm-ΔM_6402) strain was constructed through homologous recombination technique. The morphological and compositional changes of cell wall were examined in the M. sm-ΔM_6402 strain. The M. sm-ΔM_6402 strain grew at non-permissive temperature slower than that at permissive temperature, indicating that MSMEG_6402 is non-essential for growth of M. smegmatis. The change of cell shape and detectable bulging on the cell surface of M. sm-ΔM_6402 strain were observed by scanning electron microscopy, and curled as well as deformed cell wall of M. sm-ΔM_6402 strain was revealed by transmission electron microscopy. Analysis of sugar composition in the cell wall by HPLC indicated that the ratio of arabinofuran to galactofuran in M. sm-ΔM_6402 strain was changed to 1.7:1 comparing with 2:1 in the wild type. It demonstrates that the lacking MSMEG_6402 interferes the biosynthesis of arabinan. Analyzing 5' P-DPR and DPR from both M. sm-ΔM_6402 strain and wild type M. smegmatis is undergoing in this lab.

Topics: Arabinose; Bacterial Proteins; Cell Wall; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Galactans; Galactose; Gene Knockout Techniques; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; Mycobacterium smegmatis; Phosphoric Monoester Hydrolases

A major component of the cell wall of mycobacteria is the mycolyl-arabinogalactan (mAG) complex. The arabinose and galactose residues in mAG are found solely in the furanose form, and it has been suggested that the flexibility of these five-membered rings allows for the tight packing of mycolic acids. In order to probe the "flexible scaffold hypothesis", we designed and synthesized glycolipids 3-6 and 8-11 as simple models of the terminal portion of mAG. A set of donors and acceptors were explored for preparing the key beta-(1-->2) linkage in 2-6, and the best selectivity and yield can be obtained by using the electron-rich thioglycoside donor 14 and the O-5 p-methoxybenzyl-protected acceptor 17. Both alpha-linkages in the trisaccharides 7-11 were formed in a one-pot reaction. The conformations of compounds 2-11 were studied using solution-state NMR spectroscopy, but little change was observed in the coupling constants for the ring protons between 2 and 3-6 or between 7 and 8-11. However, the rotamer populations about the C-4-C-5 bond for the beta-linked ring in disaccharide 2 did change upon acylation at O-5.

Topics: Acylation; Arabinose; Galactans; Glycosylation; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Molecular Conformation; Molecular Probes; Mycobacterium

4-methoxyphenyl glycosides of 2,3''-bis-alpha-L-arabinofuranosyl branched beta-D-(1-->6)-linked galactopyranosyl tetraose (16), 3',2''''-bis-alpha-L-arabinofuranosyl branched beta-D-(1-->6)-linked galactopyranosyl hexaose (27), and a twentyose (42) consisting of beta-(1-->6)-linked D-galactopyranosyl pentadecaoligosaccharide backbone with alpha-L-arabinofuranosyl side chains alternately attached at C-2 and C-3 of the middle galactose residue of each consecutive beta-(1-->6)-linked galactotriose unit of the backbone, were synthesized with isopropyl 3-O-allyl-2,4-di-O-benzoyl-1-thio-beta-D-galactopyranoside (6), 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-benzoyl-alpha-D-galactopyranosyl trichloroacetimidate (7), 2,3,5-tri-O-benzoyl-alpha-L-arabinofuranosyl trichloroacetimidate (12), 6-O-acetyl-2,3,4-tri-O-benzoyl-alpha-D-galactopyranosyl trichloroacetimidate (17), 4-methoxyphenyl 2,3,4-tri-O-benzoyl-beta-D-galactopyranoside (19), and 2,6-di-O-acetyl-3,4-di-O-benzoyl-alpha-D-galactopyranosyl trichloroacetimidate (28) as the key synthons. Condensation of 6 with 7 gave the disaccharide donor 8, and subsequent condensation of 8 with 4-methoxyphenyl 2,3,4-tri-O-benzoyl-beta-D-galactopyranosyl-(1-->6)-2-O-acetyl-3,4-di-O-benzoyl-beta-D-galactopyranoside (9) followed by selective deacetylation afforded the tetrasaccharide acceptor 11. Coupling of 11 with 12 gave the pentasaccharide 13, its deallylation followed by coupling with 12, and debenzoylation gave the hexasaccharide 16 with beta-(1-->6)-linked galactopyranose backbone and 2- and 3''-linked alpha-L-arabinofuranose side chains. The octasaccharide 27 was similarly synthesized, while the twentyoside 42 was synthesized with tetrasaccharides 33 or 24 as the donors and 23, 36, 38, and 40 as the acceptors by consecutive couplings followed by deacylation.

Topics: Arabinose; Carbohydrate Sequence; Galactans; Galactose; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Molecular Sequence Data

An octasaccharide, beta-D-Galp-(1-->6)-[alpha-L-Araf-(1-->2)]-beta-D-Galp-(1-->6)-beta-D-Galp-(1-->6)-[alpha-L-Araf-(1-->5)-alpha-L-Araf-(1-->2)]-beta-D-Galp-(1-->6)-beta-D-Galp-1-->OMP was synthesized. 4-methoxyphenyl 2,3,4-tri-O-benzoyl-beta-D-galactopyranoside (5), 2,6-di-O-acetyl-3,4-di-O-benzoyl-alpha-D-galactopyranosyl trichloroacetimidate (9), and 4-methoxyphenyl 2-O-acetyl-3,4-di-O-benzoyl-beta-D-galactopyranoside (11), 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-benzoyl-alpha-D-galactopyranosyl trichloroacetimidate (12), and 2,3,5-tri-O-benzoyl-alpha-L-arabinofuranosyl trichloroacetimidate (17) were used as the synthons. A concise route was used to gain the tetrasaccharide donor 19 by the use of 11, 12, 5, and 17. Meanwhile, treatment of 5 with 9 yielded beta-(1-->6)-linked disaccharide 20, and subsequent selective 6-O-deacetylation produced the disaccharide acceptor 21. Reaction of 21 with 19 gave 22, and subsequent selective 2-O-deacetylation afforded the hexasaccharide acceptor 23. Condensation of 23 with alpha-L-(1-->5)-linked arabinofuranose disaccharide 24, followed by deprotection, yielded the target octasaccharide.

Topics: Arabinose; Carbohydrate Sequence; Galactans; Galactose; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Molecular Sequence Data; Molecular Structure

mAb CS-35 is representative of a large group of antibodies with similar binding specificities that were generated against the Mycobacterium leprae lipopolysaccharide, lipoarabinomannan (LAM), and which cross-reacted extensively with LAMs from Mycobacterium tuberculosis and other mycobacteria. That this antibody also cross-reacts with the arabinogalactan (AG) of the mycobacterial cell wall, suggesting that it recognizes a common arabinofuranosyl (Araf)-containing sequence in AG and LAM, is demonstrated. The antibody reacted more avidly with 'AraLAM' (LAM with naked Araf termini) compared to 'ManLAM' (in which many Araf termini are capped with mannose residues) and mycolylarabinogalactan-peptidoglycan complex (in which the terminal Araf units are substituted with mycolic acids). Neither did the antibody bind to AG from emb knock-out mutants deficient in the branched hexa-Araf termini of AG. These results indicate that the terminal Araf residues of mycobacterial arabinan are essential for binding. Competitive ELISA using synthetic oligosaccharides showed that the branched hexa-Araf methyl glycoside [beta-D-Araf-(1-->2)-alpha-D-Araf-(1-)(2)-(3 and 5)-alpha-D-Araf-(1-->5)-alpha-D-Araf-OCH(3)] was the best competitor among those tested. The related linear methyl glycoside, beta-D-Araf-(1-->2)-alpha-D-Araf-(1-->5)-alpha-D-Araf-(1-->5)-alpha-D-Araf-OCH(3), representing one linear segment of the branched hexa-Araf, was less effective and the other linear tetrasaccharide, beta-D-Araf-(1-->2)-alpha-D-Araf-(1-->3)-alpha-D-Araf-(1-->5)-alpha-D-Araf-OCH(3), was ineffective. The combined results suggest that the minimal epitope recognized by antibody CS-35 encompasses the beta-D-Araf-(1-->2)-alpha-D-Araf-(1-->5)-alpha-D-Araf-(1-->5)-alpha-D-Araf within the branched hexa-Araf motif of mycobacterial arabinans, whether present in LAM or AG.

Topics: Antibodies, Bacterial; Antibodies, Monoclonal; Arabinose; Carbohydrate Conformation; Carbohydrate Sequence; Epitope Mapping; Epitopes; Galactans; Lipopolysaccharides; Mycobacterium smegmatis; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Polysaccharides