Molecular imprinting technology for specific recognition of heparan sulfate like disaccharides

Iinteractions of biologically active proteins with sulfated glycans, particularly heparan sulfates (HS), are dependent on factors involving amounts and positions of the sulfate groups in the sugars chains. Although the importance of knowing the exact positions of the sulfate groups in particular HS sequences is well recognized, at present, approaches in this area are complex and still considered as a challenge. Here, we investigated the applicability of the ‘Molecular Imprinting Technology’ for the generation of imprinted polymers able to specifically recognize a model HS-like disaccharide. In order to advance on the applicability of this technology to the recognition of these complex sugars, we prepared a library of imprinted polymers to investigate the impact of the polymerization reaction conditions and stoichiometry on the generation of binding sites able to specifically recognize the model sulfated sugar. Our results show that imprinted polymers able to specifically bind HS-like saccharide can readily be obtained. This constitutes a suitable option for developing novel strategies directed to study fine sulfated sugars structures.