Chemoenzymatic Synthesis of P1PK and GLOB Blood Group Antigens

The P1PK and GLOB blood group antigens play vital roles in numerous biological processes; however, efficient methods for obtaining these antigens remain limited. Here we report an chemoenzymatic strategy for the systematic preparation of all six antigens. Bacterial glycosyltransferases (GTs) with higher expression levels and broader substrate promiscuity were employed to facilitate the synthesis. Furthermore, the substrate specificities of these GTs were investigated and an acceptor engineering strategy was developed to enable the recognition of GTs for inactive substrates. This strategy expands the catalytic repertoire of GTs and facilitates the generation of diverse glycan structures for biological studies.