SOME RECENT FINDINGS IN THE BIOTECHNOLOGY OF BIOLOGICALLY IMPORTANT NUCLEOSIDES

Some recent findings in the biotechnology of biologically important nucleosides will be discussed, viz., (i) a new strategy of the cascade one-pot transformation of D-pentoses into nucleosides based on the extension and deepening of the knowledge of the mechanism of functioning of the ribokinase, phosphopentomutase, and uridine, thymidine and purine nucleoside (PNP) phosphorylases, and the role of different factors (structural, electronic, stereochemical) in the glycoside bond formation, (ii) the modern chemistries of the chemo-enzymatic syntheses of nucleosides, (iii) the transglycosylation reaction using natural and sugar modified nucleosides as donors of carbohydrate residues and heterocyclic bases as acceptors catalyzed by nucleoside phosphorylases (NP).