Role of glycosyltransferases in the biosynthesis of antibiotics

Antibiotics are required for everyday life functions, and most of them are naturally decorated with various sugars. Glycosylation of natural products leads to enhanced physicochemical and pharmacological properties such as solubility, bioavailability, stability, and bioactivity. Glycosyltransferase (GT) enzymes catalyze glycosidic bond formation between a donor sugar molecule and hydroxyl group of acceptor molecules. The structural basis of enzymes provides an excellent opportunity for the genetic engineering of these enzymes. Diversifying natural products through glycosyltransferases catalyzed by glycosylation is exceptional, which is impossible to achieve using chemical synthesis. This chapter thus tries to give an insight into the classification of GTs, their role in glycosylated antibiotics, and different strategies for glycosylation.