Optimised N-acetyl-d-lactosamine synthesis using Thermus thermophilus β-galactosidase in bio-solvents

Synthesis of N-acetyl-d-lactosamine (Gal-β[1→4]GlcNAc, LacNAc) catalyzed by β-galactosidase from Thermus thermophilus (TTP0042) is affected by side reactions that give as result very low yields (about 20%) of LAcNAc when the reaction is performed in buffer. The process is improved (up to 91% of disaccharide yield) when the reaction takes place in the presence of solvents from biomass (bio-solvents) at 2.0 M concentration. Most of the solvents tested increased the LacNAc synthesis and reduced the undesired side reactions. In order to understand the possible effects of these solvents over the enzyme regioselectivity, we developed a conformational study of the enzyme structure in the presence of a selected bio-solvent by circular dichroism and fluorescence. According to this study, we were able to conclude that the presence of bio-solvents in the reaction media modifies the enzyme secondary and tertiary structure and this may be the cause of the regioselectivity changes observed in the transglycosylation reaction.