Chemo-enzymatic synthesis of fluorinated sugar nucleotide:: Useful mechanistic probes for glycosyltransferases

An effective procedure for the synthesis of 2-deoxy-2-fluoro-sugar nucleotides via Selectfluor-mediated electrophilic fluorination of glycals with concurrent nucleophilic addition or chemo-enzymatic transformation has been developed. and the fluorinated sugar nucleotides have been used as probes For glycosyltransferases, including fucosyltransferase III, V, VI, and VII, and sialyl transferases. In general, these fluorinated sugar nuclceotides act as competitive inhibitors versus sugar nucleotide substrates and form a tight complex with the glycosyltransferase. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.