Galactofuranosyl containing glycans, occurrence, synthesis and biochemistry

MARINO C.; GALLO-RODRIGUEZ, C.; MUCHNIK DE LEDERKREMER

Glycans: Biochemistry, Characterization and Applications

Nova Publisher

Año: 2011; p. 207 - 268

Galactofuranosyl units, mainly in the -configuration, are constituents of infectious microorganisms, such as the Mycobacteria, trypanosomatids like Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania, and fungi like Aspergillus fumigatus. The absence of Galf in mammalian cells points to the metabolic pathways involved in the biosynthesis of the microbial glycoconjugates as attractive targets for the development of therapeutic agents. The enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of Galf-containing molecules are the UDP-galactopyranosyl mutase, which catalyzes the interconversion of UDP-Galp into the donor of Galf units UDP-Galf, and the galactofuranosyltransferases, which are responsible for the incorporation of the sugar into the glycoconjugates. In some species, -D-galactofuranosidases have been identified as responsible for the degradation of the D-Galf containing glycoconjugates.