Facile enzymatic synthesis of sugar 1-phosphates as substrates for phosphorylases using anomeric kinases.

Three sugar 1-phosphates that are donor substrates for phosphorylases were produced at the gram scale from phosphoenolpyruvic acid and the corresponding sugars by the combined action of pyruvate kinase and the corresponding anomeric kinases in good yields. These sugar 1-phosphates were purified through two electrodialysis steps. α-D-Galactose 1-phosphate was finally isolated as crystals of dipotassium salts. α-D-Mannose 1-phosphate and 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-α-D-glucose 1-phosphate were isolated as crystals of bis(cyclohexylammonium) salts.