Elucidating the glycan-binding specificity and structure of Cucumis melo agglutinin, a new R-type lectin

• Jon Lundstrøm,
• Emilie Gillon,
• Valérie Chazalet,
• Nicole Kerekes,
• Antonio Di Maio,
• Ten Feizi,
• Yan Liu,
• Annabelle Varrot and
• Daniel Bojar

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 306–320, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.31

• Medicine, University of Gothenburg, 413 90 Gothenburg, Sweden Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, CERMAV, 601 Rue de la Chimie, 38610 Gières, France Glycosciences Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Du Cane Rd, London W12 0NN, United Kingdom 10.3762/bjoc.20.31 Abstract Plant lectins have

• , augmenting our understanding of R-type lectins. We expressed CMA1 recombinantly and assessed its binding specificity using multiple glycan arrays, covering 1,046 unique sequences. This resulted in a complex binding profile, strongly preferring C2-substituted, beta-linked galactose (both GalNAc and Fuca1-2Gal

• groundwork for further exploration of its biological and therapeutic potential. Keywords: carbohydrate; glycan array; melon; plant lectin; R-type; Introduction Lectins have long been the subject of intense scientific scrutiny, serving as molecular bridges that span the realms of biochemistry, cellular

Synthesis of the 3’-O-sulfated TF antigen with a TEG-N₃ linker for glycodendrimersomes preparation to study lectin binding

• Mark Reihill,
• Hanyue Ma,
• Dennis Bengtsson and
• Stefan Oscarson

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 173–180, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.17

• been developed for further interaction studies with lectins (galectins and siglecs). The synthesis of the 3’-Su-TF antigen 2 comprises eight steps from the known N-galactosamine donor 3, where two of the steps, removal of the Troc- and DTBS protecting groups are performed in the same pot and the

CuAAC-inspired synthesis of 1,2,3-triazole-bridged porphyrin conjugates: an overview

• Dileep Kumar Singh

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 349–379, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.29

• carbohydrate sequences suitable for tumor-binding-associated lectins on the porphyrin periphery. Continuing our work on the functionalization of porphyrin at the meso-position [32][33], we used the CuAAC click protocol to synthesize meso-phenyltriazole-linked porphyrin-coumarin dyads 44–48 in good to excellent

GlycoBioinformatics

• Kiyoko F. Aoki-Kinoshita,
• Frédérique Lisacek,
• Niclas Karlsson,
• Daniel Kolarich and
• Nicolle H. Packer

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 2726–2728, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.184

• tightly connected to mainstream bioinformatics. For example, databases and tools from genomics can be used for gaining information about genes encoding for glycosyltransferases, glycosidases, and glycan-binding proteins (lectins), and search engines initially designed for the detection of

Supramolecular polymerization of sulfated dendritic peptide amphiphiles into multivalent L-selectin binders

• David Straßburger,
• Svenja Herziger,
• Katharina Huth,
• Moritz Urschbach,
• Rainer Haag and
• Pol Besenius

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 97–104, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.10

• , these interactions occur in a multivalent fashion, allowing to overcome drawbacks of the limited strength of noncovalent bonds and to tune the selectivity at the same time [1][2]. The binding of viruses to the membrane of their host cells [3][4][5] as well as the recognition of carbohydrates by lectins

Tools for generating and analyzing glycan microarray data

• Akul Y. Mehta,
• Jamie Heimburg-Molinaro and
• Richard D. Cummings

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 2260–2271, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.187

• , and could possibly promote cancer [4], and the O-glycan of PSGL-1 which is recognized by P- and L-selectin, which is critical for leukocyte recruitment [5][6]. Other roles of glycans (including glycosaminoglycans/proteoglycans) and glycan binding proteins (GBPs) (including lectins and antibodies) in

• biological systems have been discovered with respect to cancer, infectious diseases, and genetic disorders [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]. As a technology to study glycan recognition by GBPs, glycan microarrays offer an invaluable tool, and permit examination of all types of lectins, along with antibodies

• an earlier version containing fewer compounds. The database has samples consisting of animal GBPs (e.g., C-type lectins, siglecs, galectins), plant lectins, antibodies, serum samples, pathogens and microbial proteins, cells, and organisms. The website contains data available as downloadable .xlsx

How and why plants and human N-glycans are different: Insight from molecular dynamics into the “glycoblocks” architecture of complex carbohydrates

• Carl A. Fogarty,
• Aoife M. Harbison,
• Amy R. Dugdale and
• Elisa Fadda

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 2046–2056, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.171

• implicated in the cell’s interactions with its environment, facilitating communication and infection [1][2]. These processes are often initiated by molecular recognition involving carbohydrate-binding proteins (lectins) or by glycan–glycan interactions [1][3][4][5], all events that hinge on specific

• the knowledge of their dynamic properties and flexibility. Also, consideration of these glycoblocks as spatial units can be useful to understand recognition by lectins and antibodies, which is often affected primarily by the targeted monosaccharide’s immediate vicinity and by its accessibility within

• a specific glycoform. For example, if we consider the 3D structure of the β(1-2)-Xyl Man3 glycoblock vs the Man3 without Xyl, we can understand how the β(1-2)-Xyl position within that unit negates binding to DC-SIGN lectins [19], see Supporting Information File 1, Figure S3 panels a and b

Molecular recognition using tetralactam macrocycles with parallel aromatic sidewalls

• Dong-Hao Li and
• Bradley D. Smith

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 1086–1095, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.105

• cavity [71]. Conclusion The binding pockets within enzymes, lectins, and related protein receptors are amphiphilic; that is, they contain a mixture of polar and non-polar functional groups. The macrocyclic tetralactams highlighted in this review are biomimetic in that they are synthetic host molecules

Towards the preparation of synthetic outer membrane vesicle models with micromolar affinity to wheat germ agglutinin using a dialkyl thioglycoside

• Dimitri Fayolle,
• Nathalie Berthet,
• Bastien Doumeche,
• Olivier Renaudet,
• Peter Strazewski and
• Michele Fiore

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 937–946, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.90

• with high affinity to lectins and with antibiotic activities [34], lectin recognition by n-alkyl thioglycoside liposomes remains unprecedented [33][34]. Moreover, the calculated distance between the two sugar moieties of compound 8 (up to 13 Å, Figure 6) and the presence of flexible arms make these

• adjuvants, glycolipid–phospholipid drug delivery systems and for the formulation of GVs that can be used as tools to bind to various bacterial lectins depending on the mono- or disaccharides used. As a first and relevant conclusion, in silico and in vitro studies demonstrated that two of those compounds

Lectins of Mycobacterium tuberculosis – rarely studied proteins

• Katharina Kolbe,
• Sri Kumar Veleti,
• Norbert Reiling and
• Thisbe K. Lindhorst

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 1–15, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.1

• Abstract The importance of bacterial lectins for adhesion, pathogenicity, and biofilm formation is well established for many Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. However, there is very little information available about lectins of the tuberculosis-causing bacterium, Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb

• ). In this paper we review previous studies on the carbohydrate-binding characteristics of mycobacteria and related Mtb proteins, discussing their potential relevance to Mtb infection and pathogenesis. Keywords: adhesion; carbohydrates; fimbriae; lectins; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; pili; Introduction

• invasion of host cells is a complex process, which is initiated by interactions between host and bacterial cell surface structures. As shown in previous studies, host cells can bind to mycobacterial cell wall carbohydrates via a class of surface-localized or secreted proteins known as lectins, and these

Targeting the Pseudomonas quinolone signal quorum sensing system for the discovery of novel anti-infective pathoblockers

• Christian Schütz and
• Martin Empting

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2018, 14, 2627–2645, doi:10.3762/bjoc.14.241

• response. In terms of pathogenicity traits, they are involved in the regulation of genes encoding for enzymes responsible for phenazine biosynthesis (pyocyanin production), hydrogen cyanide synthesis, Lectins LecA and LecB and additional genes involved in biofilm formation, enzymes for rhamnolipid

Pathoblockers or antivirulence drugs as a new option for the treatment of bacterial infections

• Matthew B. Calvert,
• Varsha R. Jumde and
• Alexander Titz

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2018, 14, 2607–2617, doi:10.3762/bjoc.14.239

• pathogen [10]. 3. Blocking adhesion and biofilm formation Bacterial adhesion to the host’s tissue is the initial step of every infection. In many cases, microbial adhesion is mediated by carbohydrate-binding proteins, so-called lectins, which recognize glycoconjugates on the surface of cells and tissue

• . Surface exposed glycoconjugates are highly abundant on all living cells and are generally referred to as the glycocalyx. Bacterial lectins act as adhesins with defined carbohydrate-binding specificities, in order to establish and maintain infection of the host’s various tissues and organs. Therefore, the

• inhibition of this adhesion process using glycomimetics as pathoblockers has developed as an area of active research in the last two decades [11][12]. Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is a major cause for chronic and recurrent urinary tract infections. These bacteria employ lectins in order to attach to

Diazirine-functionalized mannosides for photoaffinity labeling: trouble with FimH

• Femke Beiroth,
• Tomas Koudelka,
• Thorsten Overath,
• Stefan D. Knight,
• Andreas Tholey and
• Thisbe K. Lindhorst

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2018, 14, 1890–1900, doi:10.3762/bjoc.14.163

• ; Introduction The investigation of the interactions between proteins and their ligands, such as lectins and carbohydrates, is of fundamental importance for the understanding of many biological processes. Several different methodologies are used for the elucidation of ligand–protein interactions. In addition to

A stereoselective and flexible synthesis to access both enantiomers of N-acetylgalactosamine and peracetylated N-acetylidosamine

• Bettina Riedl and
• Walther Schmid

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2018, 14, 856–860, doi:10.3762/bjoc.14.71

• , glycoproteins serve as ligands for specific extracellular recognition processes toward, e.g., enzymes, lectins or antibodies [2]. In O-linked glycoproteins, also known as mucins, GalNAc becomes covalently α-linked to serine or threonine during post-translational modifications [3][4][5]. This glycoconjugate

Carbohydrate inhibitors of cholera toxin

• Vajinder Kumar and
• W. Bruce Turnbull

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2018, 14, 484–498, doi:10.3762/bjoc.14.34

• toxin lectins [72]. Gibson and co-workers made a series of polyacrylates bearing pentafluorophenyl active ester groups which could be subsequently converted to polyacrylamides by reaction with amine linkers of varying lengths [71]. The attachment of galactosyl azides provided a series of glycopolymer

Recent applications of click chemistry for the functionalization of gold nanoparticles and their conversion to glyco-gold nanoparticles

• Vivek Poonthiyil,
• Thisbe K. Lindhorst,
• Vladimir B. Golovko and
• Antony J. Fairbanks

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2018, 14, 11–24, doi:10.3762/bjoc.14.2

• many important biological processes, it is now well established that the binding interactions of a particular oligosaccharide, either with another carbohydrate or more commonly with carbohydrate-binding proteins (lectins), are generally weak. In order to augment these low affinity interactions

• , oligosaccharides usually bind lectins in a multivalent cooperative fashion. This avidity is significantly greater than the sum of the individual monomeric carbohydrate–protein interactions, and is sometimes referred to as the ‘cluster glycoside’ effect [6]. In order to study biological processes that involve these

What contributes to an effective mannose recognition domain?

• Christoph P. Sager,
• Deniz Eriş,
• Martin Smieško,
• Rachel Hevey and
• Beat Ernst

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2017, 13, 2584–2595, doi:10.3762/bjoc.13.255

• lectins and of three bacterial adhesins were analyzed. One important finding is that the high enthalpic penalties caused by desolvation can only be compensated for by the number and quality of hydrogen bonds formed by each of the polar hydroxy groups engaged in the binding process. In addition, since

• ; multivalency; pre-organization; Review Recognition of carbohydrate ligands For the recognition of carbohydrate ligands, nature has explored binding sites of different shapes and properties. The large family of C-type lectins (CLECs) exhibits carbohydrate-recognition domains (CRDs) which incorporate a calcium

• ion [1][2][3][4]. CLECs are involved in a wide range of biological processes, such as pathogen recognition and intercellular adhesion [5][6][7]. A large number of CLEC structures, including animal, plant and bacterial lectins, are available in the Protein Data Bank [8]. A second large family of

Strategies toward protecting group-free glycosylation through selective activation of the anomeric center

• A. Michael Downey and
• Michal Hocek

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2017, 13, 1239–1279, doi:10.3762/bjoc.13.123

• reaction. Encouragingly this methodology has now being picked up by other research groups. In 2015, Cairo and colleagues used this methodology to mount GSH Gal, Lac, and GlcNAc moieties onto sepharose-binding beads very simply for the use in affinity chromatography which were suitable for binding lectins

Glycoscience@Synchrotron: Synchrotron radiation applied to structural glycoscience

• Serge Pérez and
• Daniele de Sanctis

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2017, 13, 1145–1167, doi:10.3762/bjoc.13.114

• of the families of most glycan-interacting proteins (including glycosyl transferases and hydrolases, lectins, antibodies and GAG-binding proteins) are presented. Examples concerned with glycolipids and colloids are also covered as well as some dealing with the structures and multiscale architectures

• hydrolases; glycosyl transferases; kinetic crystallography; lectins; polysaccharides; powder diffraction; small-angle X-ray scattering; starch; synchrotron radiation; transporters; X-ray crystallography; Introduction Over the last decade, glycoscience has greatly benefited from the development of structural

• . Initially CBMs were classified as a cellulose-binding domain, but their occurrence in other carbohydrate active enzymes required a dedicated classification, separate from other non-catalytic proteins, and similiar to lectins, antibodies and sugar-transport molecules. Depositions in the PDB for CBMs amount

Glyco-gold nanoparticles: synthesis and applications

• Federica Compostella,
• Olimpia Pitirollo,
• Alessandro Silvestri and
• Laura Polito

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2017, 13, 1008–1021, doi:10.3762/bjoc.13.100

• . Proteins, like lectins, are characterized by different subunits possessing characteristic distances between the active pockets, so a controlled carbohydrate density can result in a better presentation of the molecules [60]. Saccharidic functionalization: the importance of the linker The linker employed to

• , fertility, etc. [75][76][77]. Lectins are the most diffused class of proteins which recognize carbohydrate ligands and they are widely studied to develop systems able to detect lectin–carbohydrate interactions. Yan et al. exploited the use of gold nanoparticles to recognize and differentiate lectins by

• capping gold surface with eleven different carbohydrate ligands [78]. To achieve their goal, the authors treated GAuNPs with lectins and used the linear discriminant analysis (LDA) to analyze the LSPR shifts and recognize the lectins in a complex sample. A similar approach, based on LDA, has been employed

Synthesis of multi-lactose-appended β-cyclodextrin and its cholesterol-lowering effects in Niemann–Pick type C disease-like HepG2 cells

• Keiichi Motoyama,
• Rena Nishiyama,
• Yuki Maeda,
• Taishi Higashi,
• Yoichi Ishitsuka,
• Yuki Kondo,
• Tetsumi Irie,
• Takumi Era and
• Hidetoshi Arima

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2017, 13, 10–18, doi:10.3762/bjoc.13.2

• in-depth in our previous publication [14]. Quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) The molecular interaction of multi-Lac-β-CD (DSL5.6) with PNA, one of galactose-binding lectins, was analyzed with a QCM analyzer (Single-Q, SCINICS, Tokyo, Japan). Avidin was used for immobilizing biotinylated-PNA on the

O-Alkylated heavy atom carbohydrate probes for protein X-ray crystallography: Studies towards the synthesis of methyl 2-O-methyl-L-selenofucopyranoside

• Roman Sommer,
• Dirk Hauck,
• Annabelle Varrot,
• Anne Imberty,
• Markus Künzler and
• Alexander Titz

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2016, 12, 2828–2833, doi:10.3762/bjoc.12.282

• are used as reactive glycosyl donors in the syntheses of oligosaccharides. In addition, such heavy atom analogs of natural glycosides are useful tools for structure determination of their lectin receptors using X-ray crystallography. Some lectins, e.g., members of the tectonin family, only bind to

• determination [21][22]. This method has now successfully been applied to solve the structure of the bacterial lectins RSL from Ralstonia solanacearum [23], BC2L-C from Burkholderia cenocepacia [24], and the fungal lectin AFL from Aspergillus fumigatus [25] using methyl α-L-selenofucoside (1, Figure 1) as heavy

• mushroom Laccaria bicolor (Lb-Tec2) [28], a protein that belongs to the tectonin family of β-propeller lectins and plays an important role in fungal defense against bacteria and nematodes. The determination of the Lb-Tec2 structure by X-ray crystallography promised to be difficult since no suitable model

Synthesis and NMR studies of malonyl-linked glycoconjugates of N-(2-aminoethyl)glycine. Building blocks for the construction of combinatorial glycopeptide libraries

• Markus Nörrlinger,
• Sven Hafner and
• Thomas Ziegler

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2016, 12, 1939–1948, doi:10.3762/bjoc.12.183

• either simple alkyl chains [15][16], amino alcohols [17][18] or 1,2,3-triazoles [19][20][21]. These building blocks were used for automated SPOT synthesis on a cellulose surface in order to construct complex glycoconjugates which are able to specifically bind to lectins [15][18][20]. In continuation of

Mutagenic activity of quaternary ammonium salt derivatives of carbohydrates

• Barbara Dmochowska,
• Karol Sikora,
• Anna Woziwodzka,
• Jacek Piosik and
• Beata Podgórska

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2016, 12, 1434–1439, doi:10.3762/bjoc.12.138

• RNA and DNA, respectively. The mechanisms of molecular recognition and cell interaction are mostly explained by the interaction of carbohydrates with proteins, called lectins, exposed at the cell surface. This process, on the one hand, allows bacteria to interact with other cells during infection, but

• the same recognition pattern is used to fight bacterial infections. Dendritic cells from mammalian immune system express a variety of sugar-binding proteins (lectins) at their surface. They capture, process, and display antigens to native T-cells and trigger the adaptive immune system [3]. Proteins

Synthesis and in vitro cytotoxicity of acetylated 3-fluoro, 4-fluoro and 3,4-difluoro analogs of D-glucosamine and D-galactosamine

• Štěpán Horník,
• Lucie Červenková Šťastná,
• Petra Cuřínová,
• Jan Sýkora,
• Kateřina Káňová,
• Roman Hrstka,
• Ivana Císařová,
• Martin Dračínský and
• Jindřich Karban

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2016, 12, 750–759, doi:10.3762/bjoc.12.75

• glycan and glycosaminoglycan biosynthesis [2][3], to inhibit amino sugars processing enzymes [4][5], to probe interactions of amino sugars with their target enzymes and lectins [6][7], or to increase the hydrolytic stability of the glycosidic bond in amino sugar glycosides [8][9]. For example, acetylated