Abstract: A process for preparing polyvalent, physiologically degradable carbohydrate-containing polymers by enzymatic glycosylation reactions is described. The carbohydrate-containing polymers thus prepared may be used for preparing carbohydrate building blocks. The polyvalent carbohydrate-containing polymers of the invention cause no intolerance reactions in vivo, either in their intact form or in the form of degradation products. The carbohydrate side chain of the carbohydrate-containing polymer is assembled by enzymatic glycosylation reactions in homogeneous aqueous buffer systems directly on a biodegradable polymer. The yields of the glycosylation reaction are significantly improved over known processes, and are often quantitative. This also provides a significant increase in the loading densities. A process for preparing free oligosaccharides by means of the carbohydrate-containing polymers of the invention is also described.

Abstract: The present invention relates to processes for the enzymatic synthesis of nucleotide-6-deoxy-D-xylo-4-hexuloses starting from a nucleoside monophosphate (NMP). These processes comprise simultaneous incubation of the following substances in a buffer solution:(a) substrates comprising a nucleoside monophosphate, phosphoenolpyruvate, adenosine triphosphate, and sucrose; and(b) enzymes comprising pyruvate kinase, nucleoside-monophosphate kinase, sucrose synthase and deoxythymidine-D-glucose 4,6dehydratase.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an improved process for isolating and purifying sugar nucleotides, in particular cytidine monophosphate-activated N-acetylneuraminic acid (CMP-Nana), from biological sources. The sugar nucleotides can be obtained from a sugar nucleotide-containing solution, which has been freed of proteins by alcoholic precipitation, by means of an improved column-chromatographic method which uses silica gel as the stationary phase, and at a purity level which requires only a subsequent desalting step to obtain a substantially pure product.