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Eric Samain

Publications and source records attributed to Eric Samain.

14 recordsLinked to original sources

Unexpected regioselectivity of Humicola insolens Cel7B glycosynthase mutants.

Four Humicola insolens Cel7B glycoside hydrolase mutants have been evaluated for the coupling of lactosyl fluoride on O-allyl N(I)-acetyl-2(II)-azido-beta-chitobioside. Double mutants Cel7B E197A H209A and Cel7B E197A H209G preferentially catalyze the formation of a beta-(1-->4) linkage between the two disaccharides, while single mutant Cel7B E197A and triple mutant Cel7B E197A H209A A211T produce predominantly the beta-(1-->3)-linked tetrasaccharide. This result constitutes the first report of the modulation of the regioselectivity through site-directed mutagenesis for an endoglycosynthase.

Ascomycota↗

Solid phase immunoadsorption for therapeutic and analytical studies on neuropathy-associated anti-GM1 antibodies.

Autoimmune neuropathies including Guillain-Barré syndrome are frequently associated with anti-GM1 ganglioside antibodies. These are believed to play a pathogenic role and their clearance from the circulation would be predicted to produce therapeutic benefit. This study examines the conditions required for effective immunoadsorption of anti-GM1 antibodies using glycan-conjugated Sepharose as a matrix. In solution inhibition studies using a range of GM1-like saccharides in conjunction with mouse and human anti-GM1 antibodies, the whole GM1 pentasaccharide beta-Gal-(1-3)-beta-GalNAc-(1-4)-[alpha-Neu5Ac-(2-3)]-beta-Gal-(1-4)-beta-Glc was the favored ligand for maximal inhibiton of antibody-GM1 interactions in comparison with monosaccharides, Gal-(1-3)-beta-GalNAc-betaOMe, and synthetic GM1 mimetics. Immunoadsorption studies comparing binding of mouse monoclonal anti-GM1 antibodies to GM1-Sepharose and beta-Gal-(1-3)-beta-GalNAc-Sepharose confirmed the preference seen in solution inhibition studies. GM1-Sepharose columns were then used to adsorb anti-GM1 immunoglobulin G and immunoglobulin M antibodies from human neuropathy sera. Anti-GM1 antibodies subsequently eluted from the columns often showed a striking monoclonal or oligoclonal pattern, indicating that the immune response to GM1 is restricted to a limited number of B-cell clones, even in the absence of a detectable serum paraprotein. These data support the view that immunoadsorption plasmapheresis could potentially be developed for the acute depletion of serum anti-GM1 antibodies in patients with neuropathic disease, and also provide purified human anti-GM1 antibodies for analytical studies.

Animals↗

Production of Lewis x tetrasaccharides by metabolically engineered Escherichia coli.

Two tetrasaccharides carrying the trisaccharidic Lewis x motif on a GlcNAc or a Gal residue were produced on the gram-scale by high-cell-density cultures of metabolically engineered Escherichia coli strains that overexpressed the Helicobacter pylori futA gene for alpha-3 fucosyltransferase and the Neisseria meningitidis lgtB gene for beta-4 galactosyltransferase. The first compound Galbeta-4(Fucalpha-3)GlcNAcbeta-4GlcNAc was produced by glycosylation of chitinbiose, which was endogenously generated in the bacterial cytoplasm by the successive action of the rhizobial chitin-synthase NodC and the Bacillus circulans chitinase A1, whose genes were additionally expressed in the E. coli strain. The second compound, Galbeta-4(Fucalpha-3)GlcNAcbeta-3Gal, was produced from exogenously added Gal by a strain that was deficient in galactokinase activity and overexpressed the additional N. meningitidis lgtA gene for beta-3 N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase.

Carbohydrate Conformation↗

Large scale in vivo synthesis of globotriose and globotetraose by high cell density culture of metabolically engineered Escherichia coli.

Large amounts of globotriose (Galalpha-4Galbeta-4Glc) are shown to be produced by the high cell density culture of an Escherichia coli strain over-expressing the Neisseria meningitidis lgtC gene for alpha-1,4-Gal transferase. The strain which was devoid of both alpha and beta galactosidase activity was fed with glycerol as the energy and carbon source and with lactose as precursor for globotriose synthesis. After complete exhaustion of lactose, globotriose could serve as an alternative acceptor for LgtC and the formation of a series of polygalactosylated compounds was observed. The system was extended to the synthesis of globotetraose (GalNAcbeta-3Galalpha-4Galbeta-4Glc) by overexpressing two additional genes: lgtD from Haemophilus influenzae Rd which encodes a beta-1,3-GalNAc transferase and wbpP from Pseudomonas aeruginosa which encodes a UDP-GalNAc C4 epimerase. Globotetraose could also be produced from exogenous globotriose which was shown to be actively taken up by the cells.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Genetic engineering of Escherichia coli for the production of NI,NII-diacetylchitobiose (chitinbiose) and its utilization as a primer for the synthesis of complex carbohydrates.

Chitinbiose was produced at more than 4 g L-1 by a high cell density culture of an Escherichia coli strain that co-expressed the rhizobial chitinoligosaccharide synthase gene nodC and a truncated form of the chitinase gene chiA which has been designed to be functionally produced in the E. coli cytoplasm. Chitinpentaose, which has previously been shown to be produced by the nodC protein in growing E. coli, was formed as an intermediate that was subsequently hydrolyzed into chitinbiose by the chitinase encoded by chiA. Chitinbiose was mainly recovered in the extracellular medium and to prevent its catabolism, the genes for the chitinbiose PTS permease had to be disrupted. When the additional gene lgtB for beta1,4-galactosyltransferase was expressed, intracellular chitinbiose was converted into the trisaccharide Galbeta-4GlcNAcbeta-4GlcNAc which could serve as acceptor for glycosyltransferase that recognize the terminal N-acetyllactosamine structure.

Acetylglucosamine↗

Diffusion ordered spectroscopy as a complement to size exclusion chromatography in oligosaccharide analysis.

A series of N-acetyl-chitooligosaccharides (GlcNAc)(1-6) have been studied by a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) method, diffusion ordered spectroscopy (DOSY). DOSY has also been applied to two additional synthetic related oligosaccharides [GlcNH(2)-(GlcNAc)(4) and GlcNH(2)-(GlcNAc)(2)-GlcNAcSO(3)Na]. A plot of the log of the determined diffusion coefficients (logD) of (GlcNAc)(n) versus the log of molecular weight was linear (6 points, R(2) = 0.995). The molecular weights of the two synthetic chitin derivatives could be estimated to within 10% error. The processed NMR data of all the chitooligosaccharides was also plotted in a polyacrylamide gel-like format to aid visual interpretation. Moreover, the logD value of the NMR signal resonances of a chitin-binding protein (hevein) changed as a function of a given titrated ligand, (GlcNAc)(6). Evidence for a 2:1 hevein:(GlcNAc)(6) complex is detected by DOSY at high hevein:(GlcNAc)(6) ratios. This data is consistent with published analytical ultracentrifugation and isothermal titration calorimetry data. A 1:1 complex is preferred at higher ligand concentrations. DOSY can complement size exclusion chromatography in carbohydrate research with the advantage that oligosaccharides are more readily detected by NMR.

Animals↗

Large-scale in vivo synthesis of the carbohydrate moieties of gangliosides GM1 and GM2 by metabolically engineered Escherichia coli.

Two metabolically engineered Escherichia coli strains have been constructed to produce the carbohydrate moieties of gangliosides GM2 (GalNAcbeta-4(NeuAcalpha-3)Galbeta-4Glc; Gal = galactose, Glc = glucose, Ac = acetyl) and GM1 (Galbeta-3GalNAcbeta-4(NeuAcalpha-3)Galbeta-4Glc. The GM2 oligosaccharide-producing strain TA02 was devoid of both beta-galactosidase and sialic acid aldolase activities and overexpressed the genes for CMP-NeuAc synthase (CMP = cytidine monophosphate), alpha-2,3-sialyltransferase, UDP-GlcNAc (UDP = uridine diphosphate) C4 epimerase, and beta-1,4-GalNAc transferase. When this strain was cultivated on glycerol, exogenously added lactose and sialic acid were shown to be actively internalized into the cytoplasm and converted into GM2 oligosaccharide. The in vivo synthesis of GM1 oligosaccharide was achieved by taking a similar approach but using strain TA05, which additionally overexpressed the gene for beta-1,3-galactosyltransferase. In high-cell-density cultures, the production yields for the GM2 and GM1 oligosaccharides were 1.25 g L(-1) and 0.89 g L(-1), respectively.

Carbohydrate Conformation↗

A new fermentation process allows large-scale production of human milk oligosaccharides by metabolically engineered bacteria.

When fed to a beta-galactosidase-negative (lacZ(-)) Escherichia coli strain that was grown on an alternative carbon source (such as glycerol), lactose accumulated intracellularly on induction of the lactose permease. We showed that intracellular lactose was efficiently glycosylated when genes of glycosyltransferase that use lactose as acceptor were expressed. High-cell-density cultivation of lacZ(-) strains that overexpressed the beta 1,3 N acetyl glucosaminyltransferase lgtA gene of Neisseria meningitidis resulted in the synthesis of 6 g x L(-1) of the expected trisaccharide (GlcNAc beta 1-3Gal beta 1-4Glc). When the beta 1,4 galactosyltransferase lgtB gene of N. meningitidis was coexpressed with lgtA, the trisaccharide was further converted to lacto-N-neotetraose (Gal beta 1-4GlcNAc beta 1-3Gal beta 1-4Glc) and lacto-N-neoheaxose with a yield higher than 5 g x L(-1). In a similar way, the nanA(-) E. coli strain that was devoid of NeuAc aldolase activity accumulated NeuAc on induction of the NanT permease and the lacZ(-) nanA(-) strain that overexpressed the N. meningitidis genes of the alpha2,3 sialyltransferase and of the CMP-NeuAc synthase efficiently produced sialyllactose (NeuAc alpha 2-3Gal beta 1-4Glc) from exogenous NeuAc and lactose.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Assessment of the two Helicobacter pylori alpha-1,3-fucosyltransferase ortholog genes for the large-scale synthesis of LewisX human milk oligosaccharides by metabolically engineered Escherichia coli.

We previously described a bacterial fermentation process for the in vivo conversion of lactose into fucosylated derivatives of lacto-N-neotetraose Gal(beta1-4)GlcNAc(beta1-3)Gal(beta1-4)Glc (LNnT). The major product obtained was lacto-N-neofucopentaose-V Gal(beta1-4)GlcNAc(beta1-3)Gal(beta1-4)[Fuc(alpha1-3)]Glc, carrying fucose on the glucosyl residue of LNnT. Only a small amount of oligosaccharides fucosylated on N-acetylglucosaminyl residues and thus carrying the LewisX group (Le(X)) was also produced. We report here a fermentation process for the large-scale production of Le(X) oligosaccharides. The two fucosyltransferase genes futA and futB of Helicobacter pylori (strain 26695) were compared in order to optimize fucosylation in vivo. futA was found to provide the best activity on the LNnT acceptor, whereas futB expressed a better Le(X) activity in vitro. Both genes were expressed to produce oligosaccharides in engineered Escherichia coli (E. coli) cells. The fucosylation pattern of the recombinant oligosaccharides was closely correlated with the specificity observed in vitro, FutB favoring the formation of Le(X) carrying oligosaccharides. Lacto-N-neodifucohexaose-II Gal(beta1-4)[Fuc(alpha1-3)]GlcNAc(beta1-3)Gal(beta1-4)[Fuc(alpha1-3)]Glc represented 70% of the total oligosaccharide amount of futA-on-driven fermentation and was produced at a concentration of 1.7 g/L. Fermentation driven by futB led to equal amounts of both lacto-N-neofucopentaose-V and lacto-N-neofucopentaose-II Gal(beta1-4)[Fuc(alpha1-3)]GlcNAc(beta1-3)Gal(beta1-4)Glc, produced at 280 and 260 mg/L, respectively. Unexpectedly, a noticeable proportion (0.5 g/L) of the human milk oligosaccharide 3-fucosyllactose Gal(beta1-4)[Fuc(alpha1-3)]Glc was produced in futA-on-driven fermentation, underlining the activity of fucosyltransferase FutA in E. coli and leading to a reassessment of its activity on lactose. All oligosaccharides produced by the products of both fut genes were natural compounds of human milk.

Bioreactors↗