We describe the rapid reaction of 2-amino benzamidoxime (ABAO) derivatives with aldehydes in water. The ABAO combines an aniline moiety for iminium-based activation of the aldehyde and a nucleophilic group (Nu:) ortho to the amine for intramolecular ring closure. The reaction between ABAO and aldehydes is kinetically similar to oxime formations performed under stoichiometric aniline catalysis. We characterized the reaction by both NMR and UV spectroscopy and determined that the rate-determining step of the process is formation of a Schiff base, which is followed by rapid intramolecular ring closure. The relationship between apparent rate constant and pH suggests that a protonated benzamidoxime acts as an internal general acid in Schiff-base formation. The reaction is accelerated by substituents in the aromatic ring that increase the basicity of the aromatic amine. The rate of up to 40 M(-1) s(-1) between an electron-rich aldehyde and 5-methoxy-ABAO (PMA), which was observed at pH 4.5, places this reaction among the fastest known bio-orthogonal reactions. Reaction between M13 phage-displayed library of peptides terminated with an aldehyde moiety and 1 mM biotin-ABAO derivative reaches completion in 1 h at pH 4.5. Finally, the product of reaction, dihydroquinazoline derivative, shows fluorescence at 490 nm suggesting a possibility of developing fluorogenic aldehyde-reactive probes based on ABAO framework.

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The Central Dogma of Biology does not allow for the study of glycans using DNA sequencing. We report a "Liquid Glycan Array" (LiGA) platform comprising a library of DNA 'barcoded' M13 virions that display 30-1500 copies of glycans per phage. A LiGA is synthesized by acylation of phage pVIII protein with a dibenzocyclooctyne, followed by ligation of azido-modified glycans. Pulldown of the LiGA with lectins followed by deep sequencing of the barcodes in the bound phage decodes the optimal structure and density of the recognized glycans. The LiGA is target agnostic and can measure the glycan-binding profile of lectins such as CD22 on cells in vitro and immune cells in a live mouse. From a mixture of multivalent glycan probes, LiGAs identifies the glycoconjugates with optimal avidity necessary for binding to lectins on living cells in vitro and in vivo; measurements that cannot be performed with canonical glass slidebased glycan arrays.

In this article, we used genetically encoded fragment‐based discovery (GE‐FBD) approach to identify glycopeptides that bind to the carbohydrate recognition domain of the human galectin‐3 (G3C). We generated 6 chemically identical phage libraries Ser‐[X]4‐Gly‐Gly‐Gly, built on variable combinations of redundant Ser and Gly codons. Oxime ligation of hydroxylamine derivatives of galactose (Gal), glucose (Glu), mannose (Man), rhamnose (Rha), and xylose (Xyl) produced a glycopeptide library in which both peptide and glycan can be decoded via DNA sequencing. Screening of this library against G3C identified 1062 combinations of monosaccharides and peptides that exhibited a significant (P < .05) enrichment on G3C and not control selections. Glycopeptides Gal‐WKPE, Gal‐WHVP, and Gal‐LSMA displayed on phage exhibited up to 63‐fold increase in binding potency to G3C when compared to phage displaying random glycopeptide or nonglycosylated SWKPE, SWHVP, and SLSMA. This work mapped the boundary conditions of the GE‐FBD approach with respect to the affinity of individual fragments. We observed that fragments with no detectable affinity (Glu, Xyl, and Rha) diverted the selection toward ligands that bind to G3C equally well with or without the glycan. Weak fragments (Gal, 10 mM) could effectively steer the selection toward G3C ligands in which glycan and peptide bind synergistically.

Glycan interactions with glycan-binding proteins (GBPs) play essential roles in a wide variety of cellular processes. Currently, the glycan specificities of GBPs are most often inferred from binding data generated using glycan arrays, wherein the GBP is incubated with oligosaccharides immobilized on a glass surface. Detection of glycan–GBP binding is typically fluorescence-based, involving the labeling of the GBP with a fluorophore or with biotin, which binds to fluorophore-labeled streptavidin, or using a fluorophore-labeled antibody that recognizes the GBP. While it is known that covalent labeling of a GBP may influence its binding properties, these effects have not been well studied and are usually overlooked when analyzing glycan array data. In the present study, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) was used to quantitatively evaluate the impact of GBP labeling on oligosaccharide affinities and specificities. The influence of three common labeling approaches, biotinylation, labeling with a fluorescent dye and introducing an iodination reagent, on the affinities of a series of human milk and blood group oligosaccharides for a C-terminal fragment of human galectin-3 was evaluated. In all cases labeling resulted in a measurable decrease in oligosaccharide affinity, by as much as 90%, and the magnitude of the change was sensitive to the nature of the ligand. These findings demonstrate that GBP labeling may affect both the absolute and relative affinities and, thereby, obscure the true glycan binding properties. These results also serve to illustrate the utility of the direct ESI-MS assay for quantitatively evaluating the effects of protein labeling on ligand binding.

Abnormal cell surface glycosylation plays a major role in disease processes such as immune evasion. However, the underlying role of glycans is yet to be fully understood. Binding information obtained from glycan arrays can provide critical starting points for downstream applications such as the development of carbohydrate‐based inhibitors, vaccines, and other therapeutics. However, it is challenging to use powerful techniques like DNA deep sequencing to analyze glycan recognition due to the lack of 1:1 correspondence between DNA and glycan structures. Therefore, we have developed Liquid Glycan Array (LiGA), a technology that allows for genetic encoding of glycans. LiGA provides a 1:1 correspondence between the glycan displayed in multiple copies on a bacteriophage carrier and the phage genetic material. LiGA is generated by acylation of phage pVIII protein with a dibenzocyclooctyne, followed by ligation of azido‐modified glycans. The display of glycans on each phage virion can be controlled from 30‐1500 copies to probe the critical variables in glycan recognition: valency and density. A simple pulldown of the LiGA along with lectins followed by deep sequencing of the DNA in the bound phage decodes the recognized glycans. LiGA is target agnostic and measures binding profile of lectins expressed on intact cells, such as hCD22 (Siglec‐2) and DC‐SIGN (Dendritic Cell‐Specific Intercellular adhesion molecule‐3‐Grabbing Non‐integrin), and in live mice (Nat. Chem. Bio. 17, 806–816, 2021). From a mixture of 50‐100 multivalent glycan probes, LiGA identifies the glycan‐phage conjugates with optimal valency and density for binding to antibodies and lectins on cells in vitro and in vivo. Sialic acid‐binding immunoglobulin‐type lectins (Siglecs) expressed on the surface of immune cells are exploited by cancer to evade immune response. We applied LiGA to study the binding specificity of Siglec‐7, a cell surface receptor that cancer cells use to evade immune response from natural killer (NK) cells. Additionally, we explored the roles of valency and density in ganglioside interaction with Siglec‐1 using a cell‐based assay. Building on these successes, we plan to use LiGA to identify the valency and affinity required by trans‐ glycan to overcome the cis‐ masking on the surface of immune cells.

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