Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 3, 2026
Nucleoside Triphosphates - From Synthesis to Biochemical Characterization
Published on: April 3, 2014
A simple chemical synthesis of sugar nucleoside diphosphates in water
Hidenori Tanaka1, Yayoi Yoshimura1, Ole Hindsgaul1
1Carlsberg Laboratory, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Abstract:
Chemoenzymatic oligosaccharide synthesis is attractive since it eliminates the tedious multistep protection-deprotection requirements of pure chemical synthesis. Chemoenzymatic synthesis using glycosyltransferases, however, requires not only the correct enzyme to control both regio- and stereospecificity, but also the glycosyl donor to provide the sugar that is added. This unit describes a simple synthesis of sugar-nucleoside diphosphates (sugar-NDPs), the type of glycosyl donor (e.g., UDP-Glc, UDP-Gal, ADP-Glc) required by most glycosyltransferases, by using a chemical coupling reaction in water. The preparation of sugar-NDPs by this method therefore does not require any skills in synthetic organic chemistry.
Related Concept Videos
01:26Biosynthesis of Polysaccharides
01:15Dehydration Synthesis
Dehydration synthesis (also called a condensation reaction) is the chemical process in which two molecules covalently link together to form a new molecule, along with the release of a water molecule. Many physiologically important compounds form by dehydration synthesis reactions, such as complex carbohydrates, proteins, DNA, and RNA.
Synthesis of carbohydrates
Sugar molecules are covalently linked together by dehydration synthesis. During the reaction, the hydroxyl (-OH) group from...
01:01Phosphodiester Linkages
Phosphodiester bond forms when a phosphoric acid molecule (H3PO4) links with two hydroxyl groups (–OH) of two other molecules, forming two ester bonds. Two water molecules are released in this process. The phosphodiester bond is commonly found in nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) and plays a critical role in their structure and function.
Phosphodiester Bonds Link Nucleotides Together
DNA and RNA are polynucleotides or long chains of nucleotides that are linked together. A nucleotide is...
01:28Biosynthesis of Nucleic Acids
01:28ATP and Macromolecule Synthesis
Most macromolecules are composed of single subunits, or building blocks, called monomers. The monomers combine with each other using covalent bonds to form larger molecules known as polymers.
Conversion of...
01:15Hydrolysis
Hydrolysis is a chemical reaction in which the addition of water breaks down a polymer into its simpler monomer units. For example, peptides break into amino acids, carbohydrates into simple sugars, and DNA into nucleotides. Enzymes often facilitate these processes.
Hydrolysis Reverses Dehydration Synthesis
Complex carbohydrates can be broken down by breaking the bonds between individual sugar units. The reaction breaks a glycosidic bond as water is added to the compound. The...