Enzymic synthesis of di- and tri-saccharide glycosides, using glycosidases and beta-D-galactoside 3-alpha-sialyl-transferase.

The following disaccharide glycosides were obtained in yields of 10-35% from the appropriate donor and acceptor glycosides by employing glycosidases as catalysts: alpha-D-Galp-(1----3)-alpha-D-GalpNAc-OEt (alpha-D-galactosidase), beta-D-Galp-(1----3)-alpha-D-GalpNAc-OEt and beta-D-Galp-(1----3)-beta-D-GalpNAc-OEtBr (beta-D-galactosidase), beta-D-GlcpNAc-(1----6)-beta-D-Galp-OMe and beta-D-GlcpNAc-(1----6)-alpha-D-Manp-OMe (beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase). With beta-D-GlcpNAc-OEtSiMe3 as the acceptor, beta-D-galactosidase gave beta-D-Galp-(1----3)-beta-D-GlcpNAc-OEtSiMe3 almost exclusively, whereas, with beta-D-GlcpNAc-OMe as the acceptor, beta-D-Galp-(1----3)-beta-D-GlcpNAc-OMe was formed in only slightly excess over teh analogous beta-(1----4)-linked glycoside. The use of beta-D-galactosidase and beta-D-galactoside 3-alpha-sialyltransferase in sequence provided a convenient route to the trisaccharide glycosides alpha-D-Neup5Ac-(2----3)-beta-D-Galp-(1----3)-alpha-D-GalpNAc-OEt, alpha-D-Neup5Ac-(2----3)-beta-D-Galp-(1----3)-beta-D-GalpNAc-OE tBr, and alpha-D-Neup5Ac-(2----3)-beta-D-Galp-(1----3)-beta-D-GlcpNAc-OMe.