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De novo synthesis of novel bacterial monosaccharide fusaminic acid

Ruohan Wei1, Han Liu1, Xuechen Li2

  • 1Department of Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Synthetic Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, P. R. China.

The Journal of Antibiotics
|March 24, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Fusobacterium nucleatum, an oral bacterium, has lipopolysaccharide (LPS) O-antigen with novel sugars. Researchers synthesized these unique nonulosonic acids to study their role in bacterial disease.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Organic Chemistry
  • Glycoscience

Background:

  • Fusobacterium nucleatum is an oral bacterium linked to various diseases.
  • Its lipopolysaccharide (LPS) O-antigen contains unique trisaccharide repeating units.
  • Novel monosaccharides, including fusaminic acid, have been identified in F. nucleatum.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To report the de novo synthesis of 5-N-acetyl fusaminic acid and its thioglycoside derivative.
  • To investigate the biological significance of nonulosonic acids in bacterial pathogenesis.

Main Methods:

  • Chemical synthesis of 5-N-acetyl fusaminic acid.
  • Synthesis of a thioglycoside derivative of the novel monosaccharide.

Main Results:

  • Successful de novo synthesis of 5-N-acetyl fusaminic acid.
  • Generation of a thioglycoside derivative for further biological studies.

Conclusions:

  • The synthesis provides crucial tools for studying the role of novel nonulosonic acids in F. nucleatum virulence.
  • Understanding these components can offer insights into bacterial pathogenesis and potential therapeutic targets.

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