A TRUNCATED ALPHA-2-3-SIALYLTRANSFERASE FOR THE SYNTHESIS OF SIALOSIDES AND SIALYL GLYCOLIPIDS

Sialic acids are a family of monosaccharides that are commonly found as terminal residues on cell surface glycoproteins/glycolipids of higher animals. They have a vital role in cellular communication and recognition.To a much lesser degree, they are also found in microorganisms and their presence is often linked with pathogenicity.

Pasteurella multocida alpha-2-3-sialyltransferase 3 (PmST3) is a powerful catalyst that is useful for synthesizing sialosides and sialyl glycolipids. UC Davis researchers have discovered that by truncating the carboxyl terminus of PmST3, the truncated enzyme (PmST3delta35) is more soluble and shows high expression in E. coli expression system. Truncated PmST3 catalyzes the transfer of activated sialic acids to the appropriate acceptors, resulting in the formation of alpha-2-3-linked sialosides with or without a lipid portion.