Synthesis of S-linked thiooligosaccharide analogues of Nod factors: synthesis of new protected thiodisaccharide and thiotrisaccharide intermediates

We are investigating the synthesis of thioanalogues of nodulation factors that will be resistant to degradation by chitinases. To study the influence of our protecting group strategy, the glycosylation of 1,6-anhydro-2-azido-3-O-benzyl-2-deoxy-beta-D-glucopyranoside (7) with two trichloroacetimidate glycosyl donors carrying an azido group at C-2 and either benzyl or benzoyl protecting groups on O-3 and O-4 was first attempted under catalysis with BF(3).Et(2)O in toluene. While glycosylation with the benzoylated glycosyl donor gave only a poor yield (27%) of the disaccharide, a similar reaction with the benzylated donor gave the corresponding disaccharide in good yield (77%). Although both products were obtained as anomeric mixtures, the benzylated donor led to improved stereoselectivity in favor of the desired beta-anomer (alpha:beta 3:7). Based on these results, a novel thiotrisaccharide was synthesized via the coupling of 7 with 6-O-acetyl-4-S-(3,4,6-tri-O-acetyl-2-benzyloxycarbonylamino-2-deoxy-beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-2-azido-3-O-benzyl-2-deoxy-4-thio-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl trichloroacetimidate (25) also newly synthesized. After optimization of the reaction conditions, the desired thiotrisaccharide 4-O-[6-O-acetyl-4-S-(3,4,6-tri-O-acetyl-2-benzyloxycarbonylamino-2-deoxy-beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-2-azido-3-O-benzyl-2-deoxy-4-thio-beta-D-glucopyranosyl]-1,6-anhydro-2-azido-3-O-benzyl-2-deoxy-beta-D-glucopyranoside (26beta) was obtained in 57% yield. These conditions led to an anomeric mixture in favor of the desired beta-anomer (alpha:beta 1:4.7) that was separated from the alpha-anomer by normal-phase HPLC on a PrepNova Pack(R) silica gel cartridge. The work described here shows that thiodisaccharide glycosyl donors behave quite differently from the analogous O-disaccharide used previously to synthesize nodulation factors.     

Synthesis of alpha- and beta-glycosyl donors with a disaccharide beta-D-Gal-(1-->3)-D-GalNAc backbone

The synthesis of thioglycosyl donors with a disaccharide beta-D-Gal-(1-->3)-D-GalNAc backbone was studied using the glycosylation of a series of suitably protected 3-monohydroxy- and 3,4-dihydroxyderivatives of phenyl 2-azido-2-deoxy-1-thio-alpha- and 1-thio-beta-D-galactopyranosides by galactosyl bromide, fluoride, and trichloroacetimidate. In the reaction with the monohydroxylated glycosyl acceptor, the process of intermolecular transfer of thiophenyl group from the glycosyl acceptor onto the cation formed from the molecule of glycosyl donor dominated. When glycosylating 3,4-diol under the same conditions, the product of the thiophenyl group transfer dominated or the undesired (1-->4), rather than (1-->3)-linked, disaccharide product formed. The aglycone transfer was excluded when 4-nitrophenylthio group was substituted for phenylthio group in the galactosyl acceptor molecule. This led to the target disaccharide, 4-nitrophenyl 2-azido-4,5-O-benzylidene-2-deoxy-3-O-(2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-beta-D- galactopyranosyl)-1-thio-beta-D-galactopyranoside, in 57% yield. This disaccharide product bears nonparticipating azide group in position 2 of galactosamine and can hence be used to form alpha-glycoside bond. 2-Azide group and the aglycone nitro group were simultaneously reduced in this product and then trichloroacetylated, which led to the beta-glycosyl donor, 4-trichloroacetamidophenyl 4,6-O-diacetyl-2-deoxy-3-O-(2,3,4,6-tetra- O-acetyl-beta-D-galactopyranosyl)-1-thio-2-trichloroacetamido-beta-D- galactopyranoside, in 62% yield. The resulting glycosyl donor was used in the synthesis of tetrasaccharide asialo-GM1.     

Use of a phenyl 1-selenogalactofuranoside as a glycosyl donor for the synthesis of galactofuranosyl-containing disaccharides.

The use of acetylated phenyl 1-seleno-beta-D-galactofuranoside as a glycosyl donor for the synthesis of protected D-Galf-beta-(1-->3)-alpha-D-Manp as its methyl or ethylthio glycoside has been demonstrated. Activation of the selenoglycoside over a thioglycoside acceptor by NIS/TfOH is extremely selective and gives the ethylthio disaccharide in 91% yield. The parent disaccharide is found as a terminal and branched unit in the lipopeptidophosphoglycan oligosaccharides of the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas' disease.     

Highly efficient preparation of tumor antigen-containing glycopeptide building blocks from novel pentenyl glycosides

O-Glycosylated amino acids containing the tumor-associated T(Tf)-antigen (beta-D-Gal-(1-->3)-alpha-D-GalNAc) disaccharide unit were conveniently synthesized in seven steps starting from D-galactose via an n-pentenyl glycoside (NPG) building block. Azidonitration of 3,4,6-tri-O-acetyl-D-galactal, followed by nitrate displacement with simultaneous acetate hydrolysis with sodium 4-penten-1-oxide, afforded n-pentenyl 2-deoxy-2-azidogalactoside (3) in near quantitative yield. Subsequent high-yielding transformations resulted in the synthesis of the key glycosyl donor n-pentenyl beta-disaccharide 5 that was employed for the stereospecific preparation of glycosyl amino acids via NIS-promoted glycosylations with serine or threonine acceptors. The surprising utility of the reaction of sodium 4-penten-1-oxide with anomeric nitrates encouraged the detailed exploration of the action of a variety of nucleophiles on anomeric nitrates for the synthesis of useful 2-azido glycosyl donors directly from the 'classic' Lemieux azidonitration product of protected galactals. This expedient synthesis (28% overall yield from 1 to 7a) that makes use of heretofore rarely exploited pentenyl 2'-azidoglycosides, should be a valuable entry in the armamentarium of routes to biologically relevant glycopeptides in both mono- and multivalent forms.     

1,6-Anhydro-N-Acetyl- beta-D-glucosamine in oligosaccharide synthesis: II. synthesis of a spacered Ley tetrasaccharide

3-Aminopropyl glycoside of 3,2'-di-O-alpha-L-fucosyl-N-acetyllactosamine (Ley tetrasaccharide) was synthesized. The glycosyl donor, 2-O-acetyl-3,4,6-tri-O-benzoyl-alpha-D-galactopyranosyl bromide, was coupled with glycosyl acceptor, 1,6-anhydro-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-beta-D-glucopyranose or its 3-O-acetyl derivative, to give the corresponding N-acetyllactosamine derivatives in 20 and 71% yields, respectively. The glycosyl donor was synthesized from 1,2-di-O-acetyl-3,4,6-tri-O-benzoyl-D-galactopyranose, which was obtained by the treatment of benzobromogalactose with sodium borohydride to yield 1,2-O-benzylidene derivative and subsequent removal of benzylidene group and acetylation. Acidic methanolysis of the disaccharide derivatives resulted in the selective removal of one or both acetyl groups to give the disaccharide acceptor bearing hydroxy groups at C3 of the glucosamine residue and C2 of the galactose residue. The introduction of fucose residues in these positions by the treatment with tetrabenzylfucopyranosyl bromide resulted in a tetrasaccharide derivative, which was converted into 3,2'-di-O-alphha-L-fucopuranosyl- 1,6-anhydro-N-acetyllactosamine peracetate after substitution of acetyl groups for benzoyl and benzyl groups. Opening of the anhydro ring by acetolysis resulted in peracetate, which was then converted into the corresponding oxazoline derivative in two steps. Glycosylation of the oxazoline derivative with 3-trifluoroacetamidopropan-1-ol and removal of O-acetyl and N-trifluoroacetyl protective groups resulted in a free spacered Ley tetrasaccharide.     

Synthesis of a heptasaccharide fragment of the O-deacetylated GXM of C. neoformans serotype C

Beta-D-Xylp-(1-->2)-alpha-D-Manp-(1-->3)-[beta-D-Xylp-(1-->2)][beta-D-Xylp-(1-->4)]-alpha-D-Manp-(1-->3)-[beta-D-Xylp-(1-->4)]-alpha-D-Manp, the fragment of the exopolysaccharide from Cryptococcus neoformans serovar C, was synthesized as its methyl glycoside. Thus, chloroacetylation of allyl 3-O-acetyl-4,6-O-benzylidene-alpha-D-mannopyranoside (1) followed by debenzylidenation and selective 6-O-benzoylation afforded allyl 2-O-chloroacetyl-3-O-acetyl-6-O-benzoyl-alpha-D-mannopyranoside (4). Glycosylation of 4 with 2,3,4-tri-O-benzoyl-D-xylopyranosyl trichloroacetimidate (5) furnished the beta-(1-->4)-linked disaccharide 6. Dechloroacetylation gave the disaccharide acceptor 7 and subsequent coupling with 5 produced the trisaccharide 8. Deacetylation of 8 gave the trisaccharide acceptor 9 and subsequent coupling with a disaccharide 10 produced the pentasaccharide 11. Reiteration of deallylation and trichloroacetimidate formation from 11 yielded the pentasaccharide donor 12. Coupling of a disaccharide acceptor 13 with 12 afforded the heptasaccharide 14. Subsequent deprotection gave the heptaoside 16, while selective 2-O-deacetylation of 14 gave the heptasaccharide acceptor 15. Condensation of 15 with glucopyranosyluronate imidate 17 did not yield the expected octaoside, instead, an orthoester product 18 was obtained. Rearrangement of 18 did not give the target octaoside; but produced 15. Meanwhile, there was no reaction between 15 and the glycosyl bromide donor 19.     

Syntheses of α- and β-Glycosyl Donors with a Disaccharide β-D-Gal-(1→3)-D-GalNAc Backbone

The synthesis of thioglycoside glycosyl donors with a disaccharide -D-Gal-(1 3)-D-GalNAc backbone was studied using the glycosylation of a series of suitably protected 3-monohydroxy- and 3,4-dihydroxyderivatives of phenyl 2-azido-2-deoxy-1-thio-- and 1-thio--D-galactopyranosides by galactosyl bromide, fluoride, and trichloroacetimidate. In the reaction with the monohydroxylated glycosyl acceptor, the process of intermolecular transfer of thiophenyl group from the glycosyl acceptor onto the cation formed from the molecule of glycosyl donor dominated. When glycosylating 3,4-diol under the same conditions, the product of the thiophenyl group transfer dominated or the undesired (1 4), rather than (1 3)-linked, disaccharide product formed. The aglycon transfer was excluded when 4-nitrophenylthio group was substituted for phenylthio group in the galactosyl acceptor molecule. This led to the target disaccharide, 4-nitrophenyl 2-azido-4,6-O-benzylidene-2-deoxy-3-O-(2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl--D-galactopyranosyl)-1-thio--D-galactopyranoside, in 57% yield. This disaccharide product bears nonparticipating azido group in position 2 of galactosamine and can hence be used to form -glycoside bond. Azido group and the aglycon nitro group were simultaneously reduced in this product and then trichloroacetylated, which led to the -glycosyl donor, 4-trichloroacetamidophenyl 4,6-di-O-acetyl-2-deoxy-3-O-(2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl--D-galactopyranosyl)-1-thio-2-trichloroacetamido--D-galactopyranoside, in 62% yield. The resulting glycosyl donor was used in the synthesis of tetrasaccharide asialo-GM₁.     

An efficient and practical synthesis of beta-(1 --> 3)-linked xylooligosaccharides

A facile and practical method was developed for the synthesis of beta-(1 --> 3)-linked xylooligosaccharides. Dibezoylation of allyl alpha-D-xylopyranoside (1) afforded 2,4-dibenzoate 6 as the major product. Chloroacetylation of 6, followed by deallylation and trichloroacetimidation, gave a 1:3 alpha/beta imidate (10 and 11) mixture. Coupling of the imidate mixture with 6 gave a disaccharide 13, whose dechloroacetylation afforded the disaccharide acceptor 16. Condensation of perbenzoylated xylosyl alpha/beta imidate (7 and 8) mixture with 6 gave the disaccharide 12. Deallylation of 12, followed by trichloroacetimidation, furnished the disaccharide donor as a 1:1 alpha/beta mixture. Coupling of the disaccharide donor mixture with the disaccharide acceptor 16 yielded the tetrasaccharide 17. Reiteration of deallylation and trichloroacetimidation transformed 17 to the tetrasaccharide donor mixture. Condensation of the tetrasaccharide donor mixture with the acceptor 16 gave the hexasaccharide 21. Debenzoylation with saturated ammonia-methanol afforded beta-(1 --> 3)-linked allyl xylotetraoside and xylohexaoside.     

Synthesis and enzymatic susceptibility of a series of novel GM2 analogs

A series of GM2 analogs in which GM2 epitope was coupled to a variety of glycosyl lipids were designed and synthesized to investigate the mechanism of enzymatic hydrolysis of GM2 ganglioside. The coupling of N-Troc-protected sialic acid and p-methoxyphenyl galactoside acceptor gave the crystalline disaccharide, which was further coupled with galactosamine donor to give the desired GM2 epitope trisaccharide. After conversion into the corresponding glycosyl donor, the trisaccharide was coupled with galactose, glucose and artificial ceramide (B30) to give the final compounds. The result on hydrolysis of GM2 analogs indicates that GM2 activator protein requires one spacer sugar between GM2 epitope and the lipid moiety to assist the hydrolysis of the terminal GalNAc residue. Synthetic studies on sialoglycoconjugates, Part 140. For part 139, see Ref [1].     

Synthesis of an alpha-linked dimer of the trisaccharide repeating unit of the exopolysaccharide produced by Pediococcus damnosus 2.6

A hexasaccharide, beta-D-Glcp-(1-->3)-[beta-D-Glcp-(1-->2)]-alpha-D-Glcp-(1-->3)-beta-D-Glcp-(1-->3)-[beta-D-Glcp-(1-->2)]-D-Glcp, the alpha-linked dimer of the trisaccharide repeating unit of the exopolysaccharide produced by Pediococcus damnosus 2.6, was synthesized as its methyl glycoside. Condensation of fully benzoylated alpha-D-glucopyranosyl trichloroacetimidate (1) with isopropyl 4,6-O-benzylidene-1-thio-beta-D-glucopyranoside (2) selectively furnished (1-->3)-linked disaccharide 3, and subsequent 2-O-acetylation, desulfation, and trichloroacetimidate formation afforded the disaccharide donor 6. Meanwhile, selective 3-O-coupling of methyl 4,6-O-benzylidene-alpha-d-glucopyranoside (8) with 3-O-allyl-2,4,6-tri-O-benzoyl-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl trichloroacetimidate (7), followed by coupling with 1 gave the trisaccharide 10. Removal of the benzylidene group of 10, benzoylation, and deallylation produced the trisaccharide acceptor 12. Condensation of 12 with 6 yielded a pentasaccharide mixture 13 with beta and alpha isomers in a ratio of 2:1. Removal of the benzylidene group of 13, followed by benzoylation gave the pentasaccharide mixture 14. Selective 2'-deacetylation of the isolated beta-linked 14beta with MeCOCl/MeOH/CH2Cl2 did not give the expected pentasaccharide acceptor, and serious decomposition occurred, indicating a large steric hindrance at C-2'. Alternatively, 2,3-di-O-glycosylation of allyl 4,6-O-benzylidene-beta-D-glucopyranoside (21) with 1 gave 22, then deallylation and trichloroacetimidate formation afforded the trisaccharide donor 24. Condensation of 12 with 24 furnished only the alpha-linked hexasaccharide 25, and its deprotection gave the free hexaoside 27.     

Remote control of alpha- or beta-stereoselectivity in (1-->3)-glucosylations in the presence of a C-2 ester capable of neighboring-group participation

In (1-->3)-glucosylation the glycosyl bond originally present in either donor or acceptor is shown to control the stereoselectivity of the forthcoming bond, i.e., the newly formed glycosidic linkage has the opposite anomeric configuration of that of either the donor or acceptor. Therefore, with alpha-(1-->3)-linked disaccharides with nonreducing ends that have the 3-OH free as the acceptor and an acetylated glucosyl trichloroacetimidate as the donor, or with an alpha-(1-->3)-linked acetylated disaccharide trichloroacetimidate as the donor and a glucoside with 3-OH free as the acceptor, beta-linked trisaccharides were obtained. Meanwhile, with beta-(1-->3)-linked disaccharides that have nonreducing ends with the 3-OH free as the acceptor and an acetylated glucosyl trichloroacetimidate as the donor, or with a beta-(1-->3)-linked acetylated disaccharide trichloroacetimidate as the donor and a glucoside with the 3-OH free as the acceptor, alpha-linked trisaccharides were obtained in spite of the C-2 neighboring group participation.     

Recent studies on reaction pathways and applications of sugar orthoesters in synthesis of oligosaccharides

Formation of sugar-sugar orthoesters consisting of a fully acylated mono- or disaccharide donor and a partially protected mono- or disaccharide acceptor is regioselective, and rearrangement of the orthoesters via RO-(orthoester)C bond cleavage gives a dioxolenium ion intermediate leading to 1,2-trans glycosidic linkage. The activity order of hydroxyl groups in the partially protected mannose and glucose acceptors is 6-OH>3-OH>2- or 4-OH. The coupling reactions with acylated glycosyl trichloroacetimidates as the donors usually give orthoesters as the intermediates specially when the coupling is carried out at slowed rates, and this is successfully used in regio- and stereoselective syntheses of oligosaccharides. Mannose and rhamnose orthoesters readily undergo O-2-(orthoester)C bond breaking, and this is used for synthesis of alpha-(1-->2)-linked oligosaccharides. (1-->3)-Glucosylation is special since the rearrangement of its sugar orthoester intermediates can occur with either RO-(orthoester)C bond cleavage with formation of the dioxolenium ion leading to 1,2-trans linkage, or C-1-O-1 bond cleavage leading to 1,2-cis linkage, and this is dependent upon the structures of donor and acceptor that compose the orthoester.     

An efficient synthesis of two monosulfated trisaccharides with the Galbeta1,3GlcNacbeta1,3Galbeta-O-allyl backbone

The GlcNAcbeta(1-->3) Gal linked disaccharide 7 was synthesized as key building blocks for the construction of target monosulfated trisaccharides 1 and 2 using oxazoline 3 as glycosyl donor promoted by BF3 x Et2O.     

Carbohydrate synthesis by disaccharide phosphorylases: reactions, catalytic mechanisms and application in the glycosciences

Disaccharide phosphorylases are glycosyltransferases (EC 2.4.1.α) of specialized carbohydrate metabolism in microorganisms. They catalyze glycosyl transfer to phosphate using a disaccharide as donor substrate. Phosphorylases for the conversion of naturally abundant disaccharides including sucrose, maltose, α,α-trehalose, cellobiose, chitobiose, and laminaribiose have been described. Structurally, these disaccharide phosphorylases are often closely related to glycoside hydrolases and transglycosidases. Mechanistically, they are categorized according the stereochemical course of the reaction catalyzed, whereby the anomeric configuration of the disaccharide donor substrate may be retained or inverted in the sugar 1-phosphate product. Glycosyl transfer with inversion is thought to occur through a single displacement-like catalytic mechanism, exemplified by the reaction coordinate of cellobiose/chitobiose phosphorylase. Reaction via configurational retention takes place through the double displacement-like mechanism employed by sucrose phosphorylase. Retaining α,α-trehalose phosphorylase (from fungi) utilizes a different catalytic strategy, perhaps best described by a direct displacement mechanism, to achieve stereochemical control in an overall retentive transformation. Disaccharide phosphorylases have recently attracted renewed interest as catalysts for synthesis of glycosides to be applied as food additives and cosmetic ingredients. Relevant examples are lacto-N-biose and glucosylglycerol whose enzymatic production was achieved on multikilogram scale. Protein engineering of phosphorylases is currently pursued in different laboratories with the aim of broadening the donor and acceptor substrate specificities of naturally existing enzyme forms, to eventually generate a toolbox of new catalysts for glycoside synthesis.     

Study of glycosylation with N-trichloroacetyl-D-glucosamine derivatives in the syntheses of the spacer-armed pentasaccharides sialyl lacto-N-neotetraose and sialyl lacto-N-tetraose, their fragments, and analogues.

The syntheses of 2-aminoethyl glycosides of the pentasaccharides Neu5Ac-alpha(2-->3)-Gal-beta(1-->4)-GlcNAc-beta(1-->3)-Gal-beta(1-->4)-Glc and Neu5Ac-alpha(2-->3)-Gal-beta(1-->3)-GlcNAc-beta(1-->3)-Gal-beta(1-->4)-Glc, their asialo di-, tri-, and tetrasaccharide fragments, and analogues included a systematic study of glycosylation with variously protected mono- and disaccharide donors derived from N-trichloroacetyl-D-glucosamine of galactose, lactose, and lactosamine glycosyl acceptors bearing benzoyl protection around the OH group to be glycosylated. Despite the low reactivity of these acceptors, stereospecificity and good to excellent yields were obtained with NIS-TfOH-activated thioglycoside donors of such type, or with AgOTf-activated glycosyl bromides, while other promotors, as well as a trichloroacetimidate donor, were less effective, and a beta-acetate donor was inactive. In NIS-TfOH-promoted glycosylation with the thioglycosides, the use of TfOH in catalytic amount led to rapid formation of the corresponding oxazoline, but the quantity of TfOH necessary for further efficient coupling with an acceptor depended on the reactivity of the donor, varying from 0.07 equiv for a 3,6-di-O-benzylated monosaccharide derivative to 2.1 equiv for a peracetylated disaccharide one. In the glycosylation products, the N-trichloroacetyl group was easily converted into N-acetyl by alkaline hydrolysis followed by N-acetylation.     

Synthesis of core-class 2 O-linked glycopeptides: a benzyl-protected tetrasaccharyl serine and its derivative carrying a hydrophobic cholestanyl group

A core-class 2 tetrasaccharide-linked serine was synthesized in a convergent manner. The coupling reaction of disaccharide glycosyl donor 3 and acceptor 4 stereoselectively afforded tetrasaccharide 15, which was converted to glycosyl fluoride 20. Glycosylation of Fmoc serine allyl ester 5 with 20 produced alpha- and beta-glycosides in 40% and 33% yields, respectively. Alpha-Isomer 21 was converted into 1, a useful building block for the solid-phase synthesis of glycopeptides. On the other hand, 21 was N-deprotected and condensed with hydrophobic cholestanol through a succinyl spacer. The same compound was alternatively synthesized by coupling 20 and 28. Functional group manipulation and hydrogenation afforded core 2 tetrasaccharide-cholestanol conjugate 2.     

Synthesis of the alpha-D-GlcpA-(1-->3)-alpha-L-Rhap-(1-->2)-L-Rha trisaccharide isolated from the cell wall hydrolyzate of the green alga, Chlorella vulgaris

The title trisaccharide was synthesized from 6-O-acetyl-2,3,4-tri-O-benzyl-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl chloride (10), ethyl 2,4-di-O-benzyl-1-thio- (5) and benzyl 3,4-di-O-benzyl-alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside (9). The disaccharide 11 obtained from compounds 5 and 10 was used as the glycosyl donor to glycosylate the rhamnopyranoside derivative 9 having free OH-2 using the NIS-AgOTf-mediated glycosylation methodology. Zemplén deacetylation of the trisaccharide 12 resulted in the 6"-OH derivative (13), which was selectively oxidized with CrO3 to the uronic acid derivative 14. The benzyl groups were removed by catalytic hydrogenolysis to furnish the target trisaccharide (1).     

Glycosyl transferase activity of the Escherichia coli penicillin-binding protein 1b: specificity profile for the substrate

The glycosyl transferase of the Escherichia coli bifunctional penicillin-binding protein (PBP) 1b catalyzes the assembly of lipid-transported N-acetylglucosaminyl-beta-1,4-N-acetylmuramoyl-L-Ala-gamma-D-Glu-meso-A2pm-D-Ala-D-Ala units (lipid II) into linear peptidoglycan chains. These units are linked, at C1 of N-acetylmuramic acid (MurNAc), to a C55 undecaprenyl pyrophosphate. In an in vitro assay, lipid II functions both as a glycosyl donor and as a glycosyl acceptor substrate. Using substrate analogues, it is suggested that the specificity of the enzyme for the glycosyl donor substrate differs from that for the acceptor. The donor substrate requires the presence of both N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) and MurNAc and a reactive group on C1 of the MurNAc and does not absolutely require the lipid chain which can be replaced by uridine. The enzyme appears to prefer an acceptor substrate containing a polyprenyl pyrophosphate on C1 of the MurNAc sugar. The problem of glycan chain elongation that presumably proceeds by the repetitive addition of disaccharide peptide units at their reducing end is discussed.     

Synthesis of Core-class 2 O-Linked Glycopeptides: a Benzyl-protected Tetrasaccharyl Serine and its Derivative Carrying a Hydrophobic Cholestanyl Group

A core-class 2 tetrasaccharide-linked serine was synthesized in a convergent manner. The coupling reaction of disaccharide glycosyl donor 3 and acceptor 4 stereoselectively afforded tetrasaccharide 15, which was converted to glycosyl fluoride 20. Glycosylation of Fmoc serine allyl ester 5 with 20 produced α- and β-glycosides in 40% and 33% yields, respectively. α-Isomer 21 was converted into 1, a useful building block for the solid-phase synthesis of glycopeptides. On the other hand, 21 was N-deprotected and condensed with hydrophobic cholestanol through a succinyl spacer. The same compound was alternatively synthesized by coupling 20 and 28. Functional group manipulation and hydrogenation afforded core 2 tetrasaccharide-cholestanol conjugate 2.