Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are components of proteoglycan (PG) molecules found on the cell surface and within the extracellular matrix. PG consists of a range of core proteins that are covalently linked to one or more GAG chains. These chains are chemically defined as heparan sulfate (HS), chondroitin sulfate, dermatan sulfate, or keratan sulfate and range in molecular weight up to 100kDa. HS is generally the most abundant GAG on endothelial cell surfaces. Both the core protein and the GAG component of a PG can contribute to the molecule’s function.

written by Journal of Glycobiology

The efficient scalable syntheses of 2-acetamido-1,2-dideoxy-D-galacto-nojirimycin (DGJNAc) and 2-acetamido-1,2-dideoxy-D-gluco-nojirimycin (DNJNAc) from D-glucuronolactone, as well as of their enantiomers from L-glucuronolactone, are reported. The evaluation of both enantiomers of DNJNAc and DGJNAc, along with their N-alkyl derivatives, as glycosidase inhibitors showed that DGJNAc and its N-alkyl derivatives were all inhibitors of α-GalNAcase but that none of the epimeric DNJNAc derivatives inhibited this enzyme. In contrast, both DGJNAc and DNJNAc, as well as their alkyl derivatives, were potent inhibitors of β-GlcNAcases and β-GalNAcases. Neither of the L-enantiomers showed any significant inhibition of any of the enzymes tested. Correlation of the in vitro inhibition with the cellular data, by using a free oligosaccharide analysis of the lysosomal enzyme inhibition, revealed the following structure-property relationship: hydrophobic side-chains preferentially promoted the intracellular access of iminosugars to those inhibitors with more-hydrophilic side-chain characteristics.

written by Journal of Glycobiology

Scienion AG and Procognia Ltd. today announced that the Israel based leading Glycobiology and glycoanalysis company, is producing its new generation of the GlycoScope™, the Multi Pad product with Scienion’s sciFLEXARRAYER technology.

Many new drugs currently entering the market are biological drugs, and most of them include glycoproteins. Understanding and analyzing the glycosylation structure of these glycoproteins during development and manufacturing is crucial for the successful functioning of the drug in the human body, as they may affect the drug’s activity, immunogenicity and pharmacokinetics.

Procognia’s GlycoScope™ platform is designed specifically for pharmaceutical companies and research labs. It focuses on the identification of glycosylation structure of glycoproteins during the research, development, and production phases of biological drugs, and can also be used for other applications such as stem cell research, vaccine development, and more. The microarray technology platform based on lectins as capture molecules enables the analysis of dozens of samples in parallel, in a simple, rapid test, with patented automatic data analysis software for accurate, same day results.

Dr. Holger Eickhoff, CEO of Scienion AG, states: “We are very happy to announce Procognia using our sciFLEXARRAYER technology. Based in Israel, a country with a striking innovative power in the biotech and life science sector, Procognia with its focus on glycobiology is at the forefront of technical development in the lectin microarray space. In order to understand glycoproteins and glycosylation pattern alterations associated with diseases on one hand and the effect of the various process parameters on the product glycosylation, the need for effective and precise HTP glycoanalytical tools such as Procognia’s unique lectin array platform is essential.“

Dr. Ilana Belzer, Vice President of Research and Development and Operations of Procognia Ltd. states: “We see a rapidly growing market for our GlycoScope™ integrated platform for the analysis of recombinant monoclonal antibodies and complex biopharmaceutical glycoproteins. Procognia’s technology has been launched already in a number of leading biopharmaceutical companies. When preparing the launch of our upgraded glycoanalysis product, the Multi Pad GlycoScope™ with broader capabilities compared to the original Single Pad GlycoScope™, we have been looking for a reliable dispensing device for the automated high throughput production of our arrays. After testing various technologies we decided for the best: Scienion´s sciFLEXARRAYER. This choice was based on the precise array spotting, reproducible results and the scalability capacity of the technology to meet any potential future production demands.”

written by Journal of Glycobiology