A Chemoenzymatic Approach to Oligosaccharides Using Glycosidases from New Sources - Access to Fluorinated Oligosaccharides as Biological Probes

Oligosaccharides are constituents of glycoconjugates (glycoproteins, glycolipids), which on their part are essential for many vital processes. Since they are too complex for detailed studies of their individual role in biological systems (glycobiology), at this time the function of their oligosaccharide-subunits is examined. A basic necessity for the advancement in this field -in context with "glycotechnology"- consists in the improvement of methods for large scale preparation of oligosaccharides under reduced costs. A promising alternative to the presently predominating, excellently developed -but intrinsically toilsome- chemical option raises from the exploration of the applicability of glycosylating enzymes for the regio- and stereoselective synthesis of such structures. As specific binding patterns, e.g. between antigenic saccharides and antibodies, can be elucidated by the incorporation of deoxyfluoro sugars into the (poly/oligo)saccharidic chain, the methodology for the synthesis of fluorinated monosaccharides as well as for their incorporation into (or assemblage to) oligosaccharides is studied within this project.