Sialic acid stability

N-Acetylneuraminic acid aldolase (or sialic acid aldolase, NeuA EC 4.1.3.3) catalyzes the reversible addition of pyruvate (2) to N-acetyl-D-mannosamine (ManNAc (1)) in the degradation of the parent sialic acid (3) (Figure 10.4). The NeuA lyases found in both bacteria and animals are type I enzymes that form a Schiff base/enamine intermediate with pyruvate and promote a si-face attack to the aldehyde carbonyl group with formation of a (4S) configured stereocenter. The enzyme is commercially available and it has a broad pH optimum around 7.5 and useful stability in solution at ambient temperature [36]. 

A New Approach to Sialic Acid Glycosides. One of the key steps in our synthesis of NeuSAc was the addition of methanol to 10. The furan presumably stabilizes the cation formed by protonation of the [3-carbon of the glycal. Indeed, as discussed at the outset, the de facto nucleophilic character of the furan was one feature which recommended its use. 

Anomeric triphenylphosphonium salts have been used as well as phenylsul-fides,but in the latter case extra stabilization is necessary (see below). Anomeric nitrosugars, which have been extensively studied in C-glycosylation reactions by Vasella, will be covered in Sect. 2.2.1 and ester enolates derived from 3-deoxy-2-ketoulosonic acids (sialic acid and KDO derivatives), which bear a structural similarity to 2-deoxy pyranosides, will be covered in Sect. 4.4. Deprotonation of anomeric phenylsulfones has been discussed in Sect. 2.1.1 and additional transformations on closely related compounds are presented in Scheme 14 [20]. Alkylation of phenylsulfone 54 with epoxide 55 provides adduct 56 which eliminates benzenesulfinic acid at room temperature to give the C(l)-alkylated glycal 57 a similar elimination is also observed with adducts derived from... 

The frequent occurrence of sialylated enzymes, or even of multiple forms, which are sometimes tissue-dependent, with a varying number of sialyl residues as, for example, in y-glutamyltranspeptida.se (EC 2.3.2.2),456,457 is not yet fully understood. Although the activity of most of these enzymes is not influenced by removal of sialic acid,454 the activity of monoamine oxidase A (EC 1.4.3.4) of outer mitochondrial membranes of rat liver has been shown to be destroyed by treatment with sialidase438 the substrate specificity of acetylcholinesterase (EC 3.1.1.7) is altered,459 the kinetic properties of human acid and alkaline phosphatases (EC 3.1.3.1 and 3.1.3.2) are changed, and the stability of a-D-galactosidase (EC 3.2.1.22) is drastically lowered.415 In these cases, an influence of sialyl residues on the conformation of the enzyme is assumed, but awaits firm evidence. 

Powell AK, Harvey DJ (1996) Stabilization of sialic acids in N-linked oligosaccharides and gangliosides for analysis by positive ion matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry. Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom 10 1027-1032... 

The lipase-catalysed hydrolysis of methyl 2-fluoro-2-arylpropionates was proposed to proceed via a mechanism whereby, after ester hydrolysis, the enzyme facilitates the elimination of fluoride ion with the formation of a carbocation stabilized by the adjacent C02 group.230 Determination of the crystal structure of human sialidase Neu2, an enzyme that catalyses the hydrolysis of sialic acids, reveals a tyrosine residue that is positioned in the active site to stabilize the carbocation proposed as an intermediate in the hydrolysis.231 ll-Fluoro-all-frans-retinol is found to undergo isomerization to its 11 -cis form in the presence of visual cycle enzymes, in contrast to a previous study where no isomerization was reported.232 The result of the prior study was taken as evidence for a carbonium ion pathway in the isomerization. Although the authors of the present study do not rule out such a mechanism, they suggest that the isomerization mechanism remains unknown. Data obtained in a study of the oxidation of... 

It has been speculated that zinc may form mercaptides with thiol groups of proteins, possibly linking to the phosphate moiety of phospholipids or interaction with carboxyl groups of sialic acid or proteins on plasma membranes, resulting in change of fluidity and stabilization of membranes (J4). 

Our preferred method of sialic acid profiling is to use the DMB / HPLC system. The first step is release of the sialic acids from the glycoprotein by mild acid hydrolysis (typical conditions are incubation with 2 mol dm acetic acid for 2 h at 80 °C) followed by fluorescent labeling using DMB and stabilization of the tagged conjugates by reduction with sodium dithionite. Analysis of the DMB labeled sialic acids is done by HPLC with a C18 column and fluorescence detection (.7ex = 295nm,.7em= 352 nm). 

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