Synthesis of non-natural glycosylamino acids containing tumor-associated carbohydrate antigens

The synthesis of biologically relevant glycosylamino acids using a non-natural amino acid as the glycosyl acceptor is described. The glycosylation reaction of a monosaccharide tri-chloroacetimidate donor with Fmoc-l-hydroxynorleucine benzyl ester provided the α-O-linked product. Conversely, when the glycosylation reaction was carried out with a glycal epoxide donor, the β-O-linked product predominated. We have used these two complementary glycosylation reactions to synthesize five different glycosylamino acids, each containing the Tn, TF, STn, Lewis^y or Globo-H tumor-associated carbohydrate antigens.     

Chemical Glycosylations for the Synthesis of Building Units of Post‐Translational Modifications

In chemical glycosylation reactions, a glycosyl donor couples with a glycosyl acceptor through glycosidic linkage. Most of the products end up with a mixture due to the formation of a stereogenic center at the anomeric carbon. Activation with a suitable Lewis acid and introduction of the non‐participating protecting group on donor and acceptor results in a selective product. Herein, we used a suitably protected donor and acceptor which produced an orthogonally protected building block with α‐selectivity. We used also a donor for the synthesis of modified phosphoribosylated amino acid. The formation of glycoside products can be used to synthesize complex biologically important organic molecules.     

Neoglycoconjugates from synthetic tetra- and hexasaccharides that mimic the terminus of the O-PS of Vibrio cholerae O:1, serotype Inaba

A glycosyl acceptor and a glycosyl donor having the N-3-deoxy-L-glycero-tetronic acid side chain already attached have been prepared and used for the synthesis of the di-through to the hexasaccharide that mimic the upsteam terminus of the O-specific polysaccharide of Vibrio cholerae O:1, serotype Inaba. The target tetra- and the hexasaccharide, which were obtained in the form of 5-methoxycarbonylpentyl glycosides, were linked to BSA using squaric acid diester chemistry. The conjugation reactions were monitored by surface enhanced laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF MS). This allowed the progression of the conjugation of the synthetic oligosaccharides in a controlled way and termination of the reaction when the desired molar hapten/BSA ratio had been reached, yielding neoglycoconjugates with predetermined carbohydrate/carrier ratios. The ability to monitor the conjugation by the SELDI-TOF MS technique made it possible to prepare, from one hapten in a one-pot reaction, several neoglycoconjugates having different, predetermined carbohydrate/carrier ratios.     

p-Alkoxyphenyl-type heavy fluorous tag for the preparation of carbohydrate units

Carbohydrate glycosyl acceptor and donor moieties were synthesized efficiently by using the fluorous tag method. The p-alkoxyphenyl-type heavy fluorous tag was stable under all the reaction conditions used in the preparation of the various carbohydrate units. Each synthetic intermediate carrying the fluorous tag could be obtained in a simple straightforward manner by partition between fluorous and organic solvents.     

Preparation of linear oligosaccharides by a simple monoprotective chemo-enzymatic approach

A monoprotective approach, involving acetyl ester as unique protective group in oligosaccharides synthesis, has been developed. Starting from peracetylated monosaccharides and glycals, by using an efficient and selective chemo-enzymatic ‘one-pot’ strategy (a regioselective hydrolysis catalyzed by immobilized lipases followed by a chemical acyl migration), different carbohydrate acceptors, only protected with acetyl ester, can be achieved. If combined with the use of an acetylated glycosyl donor, the glycosylation reaction with these glycosyl acceptors leads to peracetylated oligosaccharides. These compounds can be directly used as intermediates for the synthesis of glycopeptides used as antitumoral vaccines and, at the end of the process, can be easily fully deprotected in only one step. Thus, these key building blocks have been successfully used in glycosylation reactions for an efficient construction of peracetylated disaccharides, such as the biological relevant lactosamine, in multigram scale. Subsequently, glycosylation with the 3OH-tetraacetyl-α-d-galactose, used as carbohydrate acceptor, allowed the synthesis of a peracetylated N-trisaccharidic precursor of the lacto-N-neo-tetraose antigen. Extending this strategy to a 3OH-di-acetyl galactal, one peracetylated precursor of the T tumor-associated carbohydrate antigen has been synthesized.This efficient approach, characterized by the use of the acetyl ester as only protecting group during all the synthetical steps expected, represents an easy and efficient alternative to the classical synthetic methods in carbohydrate chemistry that involve several protecting group manipulation.     

Stereoselective 1,2-cis glycosylation of 2-O-allyl protected thioglycosides

The technique of intramolecular aglycon delivery (IAD), whereby a glycosyl acceptor is temporarily appended to a hydroxyl group of a glycosyl donor is an attractive method that can allow the synthesis of 1,2-cis glycosides in an entirely stereoselective fashion. 2-O-Allyl protected thioglycoside donors are excellent substrates for IAD, and may be glycosylated stereoselectively through a three-step reaction sequence. This sequence consists of quantitative yielding allyl bond isomerisation, to produce vinyl ethers that can then undergo N-iodosuccinimide mediated tethering of the desired glycosyl acceptor, and subsequent intramolecular glycosylation, to yield either alpha-glucosides or beta-mannosides accordingly. Although attempted one-pot tethering and glycosylation is hampered by competitive intermolecular reaction with excess glycosyl acceptor, this problem can be simply overcome by the use of excess glycosyl donor. Allyl mediated IAD is a widely applicable practical alternative to other IAD approaches for the synthesis of beta-mannosides, that is equally applicable for alpha-gluco linkages. It is advantageous in terms of both simplicity of application and yield, and in addition has no requirement for cyclic 4,6-protection of the glycosyl donor.     

Internally Protected Amino Sugar Equivalents from Enantiopure 1,2‐Oxazines: Synthesis of Variably Configured Carbohydrates with C‐Branched Amino Sugar Units

A stereodivergent synthesis of differently configured C2‐branched 4‐amino sugar derivatives was accomplished. The Lewis acid mediated rearrangement of phenylthio‐substituted 1,2‐oxazines delivered glycosyl donor equivalents that can directly be employed in glycosidation reactions. Treatment with methanol provided internally protected amino sugar equivalents that have been transformed into the stereoisomeric methyl glycosides 28 , ent‐ 28 , 29 , ent‐ 29 and 34 in two simple reductive steps. Reaction with natural carbohydrates or bicyclic amino sugar precursors allowed the synthesis of homo‐oligomeric di‐ and trisaccharides 44 , 46 and 47 or a hybrid trisaccharide 51 with natural carbohydrates. Access to a bivalent amino sugar derivative 54 was accomplished by reaction of rearrangement product 10 with 1,5‐pentanediol. Alternatively, when a protected L ‐serine derivative was employed as glycosyl acceptor, the glycosylated amino acid 60 was efficiently prepared in few steps. In this report we describe the synthesis of unusual amino sugar building blocks from enantiopure 1,2‐oxazines that can be attached to natural carbohydrates or natural product aglycons to produce new natural product analogues with potential applications in medicinal chemistry.     

α:β Selectivity in the synthesis of 3-substituted, 4-methyl umbelliferone glycosides of N-acetyl glucosamine and chitobiose

The influence of phenolic acceptor nucleophilicity; for example, 3-substituted, 4-methylumbelliferones, and glycosyl donor electrophilicity; for example, 3- and 4-substituted N-acetylglucosamines, on glycosylation stereochemistry has been evaluated. In a systematic comparison, the stereochemical outcome as well as the reaction yield appeared to be influenced by the 3- and 4-substituents of the donor as well as the 3-substituent of the aryl acceptor. In the context of synthesizing a fluorogenic substrate for oligosaccharyltransferase, an α-glycoside was desired. Although most acceptor–donor pairs led to predominantly or exclusively the β-glycoside, reaction of the most activated (3,4-di-O-benzyl) donor and the least nucleophilic acceptor (3-Br), resulted in a 1:1 ratio of α,β arylglycosides.     

Catalytic and stereoselective glycosylation with glycosyl N-trichloroacetylcarbamate

Catalytic and stereoselective glycosylation efficiently proceeded by activating a glycosyl N-trichloroacetylcarbamate with a catalytic amount of Lewis acids in the presence of a glycosyl acceptor and molecular sieves 5 Å. Catalytic and one-pot dehydrative glycosylation of a 1-hydroxy carbohydrate was also performed stereoselectively by the reaction with trichloroacetyl isocyanate followed by activation with a catalytic amount of activators.     

Direct formation of beta-glycosides of N-acetyl glycosamines mediated by rare earth metal triflates

A direct, mild and efficient protocol for the preparation of beta-glycosides of N-acetyl glucosamine (GlcNAc) and N-acetyl galactosamine (GalNAc) has been developed using peracetylated beta-GlcNAc and beta-GalNAc as donors. All rare Earth metal triflate promoters screened were found to promote glycosylation with Sc(OTf)(3) being superior in terms of reaction rate. Simple alcohol glycosylation was found to proceed smoothly in refluxing dichloromethane, whereas higher temperatures under microwave conditions were needed to attain acceptable yields with less reactive, carbohydrate based glycosyl acceptors. The protocol developed was applied to provide the first example of direct chemical formation of a disaccharide using both GlcNAc as a glycosyl donor and acceptor. The alpha-acetate donor was found to be significantly less reactive than the corresponding beta-anomer necessitating higher reaction temperatures under which glycoside anomerisation was found to occur. It was established, that the anomerisation only took place in the presence of both Sc(OTf)(3) and acetic acid.     

Stereoselective synthesis of β-glycosyl esters of cis-cinnamic acid and its derivatives using unprotected glycosyl donors

The β-glycosyl esters of cis-cinnamic acid were synthesized directly using Hannesian’s unprotected glycosyl donor and the carboxylic acid in toluene. This protocol does not require protecting groups on the glycosyl donors, and high stereoselectivity was achieved. The first synthesis of a potent allelochemical, 1-O-cis-cinnamoyl-β-d-glucopyranose, is also described.     

Single-Step Glycosylations with 13C-Labelled Sulfoxide Donors: A Low-Temperature NMR Cartography of the Distinguishing Mechanistic Intermediates

Glycosyl sulfoxides have gained recognition in the total synthesis of complex oligosaccharides and as model substrates for dissecting the mechanisms involved. Reactions of these donors are usually performed under pre-activation conditions, but an experimentally more convenient single-step protocol has also been reported, whereby activation is performed in the presence of the acceptor alcohol; yet, the nature and prevalence of the reaction intermediates formed in this more complex scenario have comparatively received minimal attention. Herein, a systematic NMR-based study employing both ¹³C-labelled and unlabelled glycosyl sulfoxide donors for the detection and monitoring of marginally populated intermediates is reported. The results conclusively show that glycosyl triflates play a key role in these glycosylations despite the presence of the acceptor alcohol. Importantly, the formation of covalent donor/acceptor sulfonium adducts was identified as the main competing reaction, and thus a non-productive consumption of the acceptor that could limit the reaction yield was revealed.     

From glycoside hydrolases to thioglycoligases: the synthesis of thioglycosides

The treatment of various glycosyl acceptors, each containing a reactive thiol group, with the appropriate glycosyl donor and a glycoside hydrolase or glycosynthase, failed to yield any thioglycosides––only the products of O-glycosylation were formed. However, thioglycosides were formed when a thioglycoligase was used to mediate the reaction between acceptor and donor. In fact, pyranose acceptors possessing a thiol group at C3, C4 or C6 (but not C2) were all capable of conversion into thioglycosides. Some comment is given regarding the mechanism of the various processes.     

A study on the influence of the structure of the glycosyl acceptors on the stereochemistry of the glycosylation reactions with 2-azido-2-deoxy-hexopyranosyl trichloroacetimidates

The stereochemical outcome of glycosylations with 2-azido-2-deoxy-D-gluco- and D-galactopyranosyl trichloroacetimidates as glycosyl donors has been investigated by using a series of chiro-inositol derivatives as glycosyl acceptors. The influence of the absolute configuration, the conformation and the conformational flexibility of the glycosyl acceptor has been studied by using different glycosyl donors under similar pre-established experimental conditions. Although the structure of the acceptor may play a role in governing the stereochemistry of these glycosylations, the results show that, in general terms, the relative influence of these factors is difficult to evaluate. For a given set of experimental conditions, the stereochemical course of these glycosylations depends on structural features of both glycosyl donor and glycosyl acceptor. It is a balance of these factors, where the structure of the glycosyl donor always plays a major role, which determines the stereochemistry of the coupling reaction. Therefore, the examples reported in the literature in which the structure of the glycosyl acceptor appears to be crucial in determining the stereochemistry of the reaction constitute particularly favorable cases which do not presently allow any further generalization.     

Stereoselective Synthesis of 1,1′-Disaccharides by Organoboron Catalysis

The highly stereoselective synthesis of 1,1′-disaccharides was achieved by using 1,2-dihydroxyglycosyl acceptors and glycosyl donors in the presence of a tricyclic borinic acid catalyst. In this reaction, the complexation of the diols and the catalyst is crucial for the activation of glycosyl donors, as well as for the 1,2-cis-configuration of the products. The anomeric stereochemistry of the glycosyl donor depends on the employed glycosyl donor. Applications of the produced 1,1′-disaccharides are also described.     

Studies on the Selectivity Between Nickel-Catalyzed 1,2-cis-2-Amino Glycosylation of Hydroxyl Groups of Thioglycoside Acceptors with C(2)-Substituted Benzylidene N-Phenyl Trifluoroacetimidates and Intermolecular Aglycon Transfer of the Sulfide Group

The stereoselective synthesis of saccharide thioglycosides containing 1,2-cis-2-amino glycosidic linkages is challenging. In addition to the difficulties associated with achieving high α-selectivity in the formation of 1,2-cis-2-amino glycosidic bonds, the glycosylation reaction is hampered by undesired transfer of the anomeric sulfide group from the glycosyl acceptor to the glycosyl donor. Overcoming these obstacles will pave the way for the preparation of oligosaccharides and glycoconjugates bearing the 1,2-cis-2-amino glycosidic linkages because the saccharide thioglycosides obtained can serve as donors for another coupling iteration. This approach streamlines selective deprotection and anomeric derivatization steps prior to the subsequent coupling event. We have developed an efficient approach for the synthesis of highly yielding and α-selective saccharide thioglycosides containing 1,2-cis-2-amino glycosidic bonds, via cationic nickel-catalyzed glycosylation of thioglycoside acceptors bearing the 2-trifluoromethylphenyl aglycon with N-phenyl trifluoroacetimidate donors. The 2-trifluoromethylphenyl group effectively blocks transfer of the anomeric sulfide group from the glycosyl acceptor to the C(2)-benzylidene donor and can be easily installed and activated. The current method also highlights the efficacy of the nickel catalyst selectively activating the C(2)-benzylidene imidate group in the presence of the anomeric sulfide group on the glycosyl acceptors.     

Synthesis of monosaccharide units using fluorous method

The efficient synthesis of monosaccharide units, glycosyl acceptor, and donor, by using the fluorous tag method was achieved. Fluorous tag 5 was stable in each reaction condition to the preparation of various monosaccharide units. Each fluorous synthetic intermediate could be obtained in a straightforward manner by a simple fluorous-organic solvent partition.     

A variable concept for the preparation of branched glycosyl phosphatidyl inositol anchors

A variable concept for the synthesis of branched glycosyl phosphatidyl inositol (GPI) anchors was established. Its efficiency could be shown by the successful synthesis of the GPI anchor of rat brain Thy-1 and of the scrapie prion protein both in the water soluble 1c and lipidated form 1a. Retrosynthesis led to building blocks 2-6 of which 5 could be further disconnected to building blocks 7-9. Trichloroacetimidate 5 was built up in a straightforward manner starting from glycosyl acceptor 9 using known glycosyl donors 7 and 8. The carbohydrate backbone was then assembled by glycosylation of pseudodisaccharide acceptor 6 with donor 5. To ensure high stereoselectivity and good yields in the glycosylation reactions, anchimeric assistance was employed. Successive deprotection and introduction of the various phosphate residues gave the fully protected GPI anchors. Catalytic hydrogenation and acid-catalyzed cleavage of the Boc protecting groups afforded the target molecules, which could be fully structurally assigned.     

Stereoselective Synthesis of 1,1′‐Disaccharides by Organoboron Catalysis

The highly stereoselective synthesis of 1,1′‐disaccharides was achieved by using 1,2‐dihydroxyglycosyl acceptors and glycosyl donors in the presence of a tricyclic borinic acid catalyst. In this reaction, the complexation of the diols and the catalyst is crucial for the activation of glycosyl donors, as well as for the 1,2‐cis‐configuration of the products. The anomeric stereochemistry of the glycosyl donor depends on the employed glycosyl donor. Applications of the produced 1,1′‐disaccharides are also described.     

The Total Synthesis of Starfish Ganglioside GP3 Bearing a Unique Sialyl Glycan Architecture

The total synthesis of ganglioside GP3, which is found in the starfish Asterina pectinifera, has been accomplished through stereoselective and effective glycosylation reactions. The sialic acid embedded octasaccharide moiety of the target compound was constructed by [4+4] convergent coupling. A tetrasaccharyl donor and acceptor that contained internal sialic acid residues were synthesized with an orthogonally protected N‐Troc sialic acid donor as the key common synthetic unit, and they underwent highly stereoselective glycosidation. The resulting sialosides were subsequently transformed into reactive glycosyl acceptors. [4+4] coupling furnished the octasaccharide framework in 91 % yield as a single stereoisomer. Final conjugation of the octasaccharyl donor and glucosyl ceramide acceptor produced the protected target compound in high yield, which underwent global deprotection to successfully deliver ganglioside GP3.