First synthesis of the immunodominant beta-galactofuranose-containing tetrasaccharide present in the cell wall of Aspergillus fumigatus

β-Galf-(1→5)-β-Galf-(1→6)-α-Manp-(1→6)-α-Manp, the immunodominant epitope in the cell-wall galactomannan of Aspergillus fumigatus, was synthesized for the first time as its allyl glycoside. The key disaccharide glycosyl donor, 2,3,5,6-tetra-O-benzoyl-β-d-galactofuranosyl-(1→5)-2-O-acetyl-3,6-di-O-benzoyl-β-d-galactofuranosyl trichloroacetimidate (10), was constructed by 5-O-glycosylation of 1,2-O-isopropylidene-3,6-di-O-benzoyl-α-d-galactofuranose (4) with 2,3,5,6-tetra-O-benzoyl-β-d-galactofuranosyl trichloroacetimidate (5), followed by 1,2-O-deacetonation, acetylation, selective 1-O-deacetylation, and trichloroacetimidation. The target tetrasaccharide 16 was obtained by the condensation of allyl 2,3,4-tri-O-benzoyl-α-d-mannopyranosyl-(1→6)-2,3,4-tri-O-benzoyl-α-d-mannopyranoside (14) as glycosyl acceptor with the disaccharide glycosyl donor 10, followed by deprotection.