Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 10, 2026

Bioinformatics Resources for the Study of Glycan-Mediated Protein Interactions
Published on: January 20, 2022
Fluorinated Glycan Frameshifts: Automated Synthesis Expedites the Study of Glycan-Protein Interactions by 19F-BioNMR
James Suri1, Christina Jordan1,2, Charlotte S Teschers1,3
1Institute For Organic Chemistry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.
Abstract:
Given the prominence of 19F-bioNMR in structural research, fluorinated glycan frameshifts hold enormous potential in studying carbohydrate-protein interactions. To contribute to this field, the synthesis of selectively C-2 fluorinated glycans related to the O3b antigen of Klebsiella pneumoniae is disclosed, and their interactions with the lectin Concanavalin A (ConA) are interrogated spectroscopically. Automated glycan assembly (AGA) was employed to expedite construction in which the C(sp3)-F bond was leveraged to control stereoselectivity of α-mannosylation. Subsequent 19F-BioNMR analysis of binding to ConA allowed determination of the respective IC50 and KD values; this revealed a conspicuous frameshift-dependency in which one pattern dominated. Collectively, this study advocates for the strategic utilisation of the C(sp3)-F bond in the design, construction, and analysis of probes to interrogate ubiquitous mannose-binding lectins with therapeutic relevance.
Related Concept Videos
Point and Frameshift Mutations
Synthesis and Decomposition Reactions
Protein and Protein Structure
A protein's shape is critical to its function. For example, an enzyme...
Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution: Fluorination and Iodination of Benzene
Dehydration 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...
Transfer RNA Synthesis
Each of these chemical modifications is carried by a specific enzyme, post-transcription. All of these enzymes have unique base and site-specificity. Methylation, the most common chemical modification, is carried by at least nine different enzymes, with...

