Enzymatic Generation and In Situ Screening of a Dynamic Combinatorial Library of Sialic Acid Analogues

Reversible formation of carbon–carbon bonds under physiological conditions by enzyme catalysis allows the generation and in situ screening of a dynamic mixture of biologically significant compounds. Generation of the dynamic library by incubation of the three sugars 1 a–c with two equivalents of sodium pyruvate in the presence of N-acetylneuraminic acid aldolase and wheat germ agglutinin resulted in amplification of sialic acid 1 a (see scheme).