Chemoenzymatic Synthesis of Sulfated -Glycans Recognized by Siglecs and Other Glycan-Binding Proteins.

Sulfated -glycans are present in many glycoproteins, which are implicated in playing important roles in biological recognition processes. Here, we report the systematic chemoenzymatic synthesis of a library of sulfated and sialylated biantennary -glycans and assess their binding to Siglecs and glycan-specific antibodies that recognize them as glycan ligands. The combined use of three human sulfotransferases, GlcNAc-6--sulfotransferase (CHST2), Gal-3--sulfotransferase (Gal3ST1), and keratan sulfate Gal-6--sulfotransferase (CHST1), resulted in asymmetric and symmetric branch-selective sulfation of the GlcNAc and/or Gal moieties of -glycans.

Chemical immunology: Recent advances in tool development and applications.

Immunology was one of the first biological fields to embrace chemical approaches. The development of new chemical approaches and techniques has provided immunologists with an impressive arsenal of tools to address challenges once considered insurmountable. This review focuses on advances at the interface of chemistry and immunobiology over the past two decades that have not only opened new avenues in basic immunological research, but also revolutionized drug development for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases.