The Role of Sialic Acid (SA) Pathway-based Cell Surface Metabolic Glycoengineering (CSMG) in Bioprocess Research

Cell surface glycoconjugates (CSGs) are important interactive interfaces between cells and the external environment and play essential roles in cell recognition, signaling, and adhesion. Through SA pathway-based CSMG, the structure and modification of CSGs can be accurately controlled and regulated, and then the functions and mechanisms can be investigated in biological processes such as pathogen invasion and tumor metastasis. SA pathway-based CSMG provides a way to alter cell-drug interactions and drug bioactivity by modulating the structure and modification of CSGs, leading to the design and development of drugs with greater potency, selectivity, and targeting. This is significant for drug discovery. In addition, through SA pathway-based CSMG, it is possible to modify the structure of cell surface glycan chains and introduce specific glycan molecular markers or ligands for the detection and localization of disease-associated cells, tissues, or biomarkers.

Fig.1 Metabolic SA glycoengineering. (Du, et al., 2009)

SA Pathway-based CSMG Service at CD BioGlyco

CD BioGlyco provides clients with one-stop SA pathway-based CSMG services based on our state-of-the-art Glycoengineering Platform. The details of our services are as follows:

• Firstly, we will obtain the required genes related to the SA pathway according to your needs through gene synthesis and other methods. Then, we select suitable promoters, and expression hosts and perform plasmid construction to clone the target genes into applicable expression vectors.
• Secondly, we perform transfection using chemical or biological methods such as calcium-phosphorus co-precipitation and polyethyleneimine methods to introduce expression vectors into appropriate cell hosts.
• Thirdly, we will optimize the cultivation conditions according to the characteristics of the target cells and the needs of the SA synthesis pathway. We will subsequently regulate the expression levels of genes related to the SA pathway to advance the metabolic pathway.
• At the end of the SA pathway, the expression of sugar chain modifying enzyme-related genes is manipulated by genetic engineering means to achieve precise control of sugar chain modification. Cells and metabolites will then be collected from cultures for purification and analysis.

Fig.2 Flowchart of SA pathway-based CSMG. (CD BioGlyco)

Applications

• By altering the structure and modification of cell surface glycan chains, drug-cell interactions can be modulated to improve drug selectivity and efficacy.
• Cell surface glycan chains can serve as signaling molecules for biosensors to detect disease markers.
• Utilizing the specificity of cell surface sugar chains, novel vaccines can be designed and developed for the prevention of diseases and infections.

Advantages of Us

• The SA pathway involves the synthesis and regulation of multiple SA species. By utilizing the SA pathway for CSMG, a rich diversity of glycan chain modifications can be obtained with high specificity.
• We have strong customization capabilities to provide tailor-made CSMG services according to our client's needs and research directions.
• Our team has a deep research background and technical expertise in biochemistry and cell biology related to the SA pathway.

As a provider specializing in glycobiology and glycochemistry, CD BioGlyco provides clients with professional SA pathway-based CSMG service. We design and customize glycoengineering strategies for clients to achieve precise regulation of cell surface glycan chain structure and modification. If you need the services we provide, please feel free to contact us for more details.