The dual role of fucosidases: tool or target

Regular intake of fucosylated oligosaccharides has been associated with several benefits for human health, particularly for new-borns. Since these biologically active molecules can be found naturally in human milk, research efforts have been focused on the alternative synthetic routes leading to their production. In particular, utilization of fucosidases to perform stereoselective transglycosylation reactions has been widely investigated. Other reasons that bring these enzymes to the spotlight are their role in viral infections and cancer proliferation. Since their involvement in the pathogenesis of these diseases have been widely described, fucosidases have become a target in newly developed therapies. Finally, activity disorders of biologically important fucosidases can lead to health problems such as fucosidosis. What is common for both mechanisms is the interaction between the enzyme and substrates in and around the active site. Therefore, this review will analyse different substrate structures that have been tested in terms of their interaction with fucosidases active sites, either in synthesis or inhibition reactions. The published results will be compared from this perspective.