Biotechnological production and applications of N-acetyl-D-neuraminic acid: current state and perspectives.
N-Acetyl-D-neuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) and its derivates are a very important group of biomolecules because these sugars occupy the terminal positions in numerous macromolecules, such as the glycans of glycoproteins, and are involved in many biological and pathological phenomena. The synthesis and applications of Neu5Ac are attracting much interest due to the potential applications of this compound in the pharmaceutical industry, such as in the synthesis of the anti-flu drug zanamivir. In this review article, we discuss existing knowledge on the biotechnological production and applications of Neu5Ac and also propose some guidelines for future studies.
MOE Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism and School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, People's Republic of China.
Fei
F
Tao
Yinan
Y
Zhang
Cuiqing
C
Ma
Ping
P
Xu
D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000378:metabolism; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000639:trends*; D004358:Drug Therapy; D006801:Humans; D019158:N-Acetylneuraminic Acid / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000627:therapeutic use
D019158:N-Acetylneuraminic Acid