Synthesis of glycopeptides having clusters of O-glycosylic disaccharide chains [β-D-Gal-(1→3)-α-D-GalNAc] located at vicinal amino acid residues of the peptide chain

Synthetic carbohydrate vaccines: synthesis and immunogenicity of Tn antigen conjugates

A tumor-associated carbohydrate antigen, Tn antigen (GalNAc alpha 1-->O-Ser), was synthesized with a spacer arm, and assembled to dimeric and trimeric structures using N-tert-butyloxycarbonyl-O-(2-acetamido-3,4,6-tri-O-acetyl-2-deoxy-alpha- D-galactopyranosyl)-L-serine as a key building block. The synthetic antigens were conjugated with OSA and their immunogenicity examined in mice. Mice immunized with dimeric or trimeric Tn antigen showed a stronger antibody (IgM) response to a Tn-glycoprotein (asialo-ovine submaxillary mucin) than mice immunized with monomeric Tn antigen. The dimeric and trimeric Tn antigens also induced measurable IgG responses. The dimeric Tn antigen was further coupled to a Starburst dendrimer (5th generation) and to tripalmitoyl-S-glycerylcysteinyl-serine, a synthetic lipopeptide of the active moiety of a major lipoprotein of Escherichia coli. Unexpectedly, the Starburst dendrimer conjugate did not stimulate any immune response specific to Tn antigen. On the other hand, immunization of mice with the lipopeptide conjugate produced not only a high IgM response but also significant IgG anti-Tn response without any carrier molecules or additional adjuvants. The production of IgG antibody is quite significant since carbohydrate antigens are in general known to produce only IgM antibody response. Being a totally synthetic, low-molecular weight, and carrier-free immunogen, the lipopeptide conjugate could be a prototype of synthetic carbohydrate vaccines.

Stereoselective total synthesis of glycopeptides bearing the dimeric and trimeric sialosyl-Tn epitope

The dimeric and trimeric sialosyl-Tn epitopes, [alpha-D-Neup5Ac-(2----6)-alpha-D-GalpNAc-(1----3)-L-Ser]n-L-Val (n = 2 and 3), which represent part of a clustered carbohydrate region of glycophorin A, a human erythrocyte glycoprotein, have been synthesised stereoselectively. 2-Azido-3-O-benzyl-4,6-O-benzylidene-2-deoxy-D-galactopyranosyl fluoride (GalpNAc unit), Fmoc-L-serine phenacyl ester (Ser unit), and benzyl 5-acetamido-4,7,8,9-tetra-O-benzyl-5-deoxy-3-S-phenyl-3-thio-D-erythro-L - gluco-2-nonulopyranosylonate bromide (Neup5Ac unit) were the key intermediates for stereoselective glycosylation. 2-Ethoxy-1-ethoxycarbonyl-1,2-dihydroquinoline-promoted elongation of the peptide chain and then hydrogenolysis afforded the title compounds.

Synthesis of glycopeptides with the TN and T antigen structures, and their coupling to bovine serum albumin

Glycopeptides with TN and T antigen structures that represent the N-terminal tripeptide of asialoglycophorin with blood-group M specificity have been synthesized using fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl (Fmoc) and 2-pyridylethoxycarbonyl (Pyoc) groups for amino protection and the benzyl ester as the carboxyl-blocking function. The Fmoc and the Pyoc groups could be removed by treatment with the weak base morpholine under conditions where the base-sensitive O-glycosyl-serine and -threonine linkages were stable. Ester groups were removed from the carbohydrate moieties with methanolic hydrazine, to give the TN and T antigen glycopeptides which were coupled to bovine serum albumin (BSA) via a carbodi-imide procedure and without any spacer groups. The resulting conjugates contained an average of greater than 20 glycopeptides per protein molecule. They are not microheterogeneous in the carbohydrate part as is commonly found for glycoproteins isolated from biological sources.

Total synthesis of 3-O-[2-acetamido-6-O-(N-acetyl-alpha-D-neuraminyl-2-deoxy- alpha-D-galactosyl]-L-serine and a stereoisomer

O-(5-Acetamido-3,5-dideoxy-D-glycero-alpha-D-galacto-2- nonulopyranoxylonic acid)-(2----6)-O-(2-acetamido-2-deoxy-alpha-D-galactopyranosyl)-(1----3) -L-serine, a structural unit occurring in various submaxillary mucins, was synthesized for the first time by using O-[methyl (5-acetamido-4,7,8,9-tetra-O-acetyl-3,5-dideoxy-D-glycero-alpha-D- galacto-2-nonulopyranosyl)onate]-(2----6)-3,4-di-O-acetyl-2- azido-2-deoxy-D- galactopyranosyl trichloroacetimidate (13) and N-(benzyloxycarbonyl)-L-serine benzyl ester as the key intermediates. The trichloroacetimidate 13 was prepared by starting from two monosaccharide synthons, namely, allyl 2-azido-2-deoxy-beta-D-galactopyranoside and methyl (5-acetamido-4,7,8,9-tetra-O-acetyl-3,5-dideoxy-D-glycero-beta-D- galacto-2-nonulopyranosyl chloride)onate, which were coupled in the presence of silver triflate in tetrahydrofuran to give the desired alpha-(2----6)-linked disaccharide in moderate selectivity.

Detection of surface carbohydrates on Pneumocystis carinii by fluorescein-conjugated lectins

Lectins react with a wide range of different carbohydrates (Table 1). Even so-called monospecific anti-H(O) lectins from Lotus tetragonolobus, Ulex europaeus, and Anguilla anguilla react not only with the anti-H determinant but also with several fucosylated carbohydrates. Consequently, the type of lectin receptor existing on the surface of Pneumocystis carinii should be determined, because only a carbohydrate analysis can demonstrate the kind of carbohydrates which exist on the cell surface of this parasite. For the purpose of this study we used fluorescent isothiocyanata (FITC)-conjugated lectins. Concanavalin A (Con A) and Maclura pomifera (MPA) agglutinin reacted to P. carinii at low concentrations, and the fluorescence intensity was gradually increased with the concentration of the lectins. With lectins from Bauhinia purpurea (BPA), Dolichos biflorus (DBA), Glycine max (SBA), Griffonia simplicifolia (GS-I, GS-II), and Triticum vulgaris (WGA), fluorescence was emitted at high concentrations, while Arachis hypogaea (PNA) and Ulex europaeus (UEA-I) agglutinins did not show fluorescence. The results suggest that P. carinii has abundant Con A- and MPA-specific carbohydrates on the surface.

Selective lectin reactions of two stocks of Leishmania enriettii with differing pathogenicity

Five days old promastigote culture forms of two stocks of Leishmania enriettii pathogenic and non-infective for Cavia procellus, were tested with the lectins of Canavalia ensiformis, Ricinus communis-120, Soja hispida (Glycine maxima), Arachis hypogaea, Ulex europaeus, Ulex europaeus I, Ulex europaeus II, Laburnum alpinum, Lotus tetragonolobus, Euonymus europaeus and with a monoclonal antibody against blood group H. The pathogenic stock reacted with the anti-H lectin of Lotus tetragonolobus and the monoclonal anti-H and the monoclonal anti-H but not with anti-H of U. europaeus I and E. europaeus. The non-infective stock reacted with none of these anti-H specific agglutinins. They had strong agglutination reactions to C. ensiformis (500 micrograms/ml, 1,000 micrograms/ml, 10 mg/ml) R. communis-120 (1:10), S. hispida (1,000 micrograms/ml) and A. hypogaea (500 micrograms/ml, 1,000 micrograms/ml, 2,000 micrograms/ml). They showed moderate agglutinations to U. europaeus, L. alpinum and U. europaeus II. The non-infective stock showed only moderate reactions to C. ensiformis (10 mg/ml), R. communis-120 (1:10), A. hypogaea (2,000 micrograms/ml) and S. hispida (1,000 micrograms/ml). Neither N-acetylneuraminic acid nor neuraminidase was detected on the cell surface of both stocks. This result demonstrates clearly that both stocks of L. enriettii differ in their cell surface carbohydrates. The agglutination reactions with lectins of the non-infective stock of L. enriettii are very similar to L.t. major.

T and Tn, general carcinoma autoantigens

Primary and metastatic carcinomas are epithelial in origin and comprise by far the largest group of malignant tumors in humans. In most of these tumors, T and Tn antigens, whose epitopes have been synthesized, are uncovered and immunoreactive. In all other tissues T and Tn antigens are masked and not accessible to the immune system; they are generally precursors in normal complex carbohydrate chains. Thus, carcinomas have antigens recognized as foreign by the patients' immune system. The expression of T and Tn antigens has pathogenic and clinical consequences, and the antigens themselves are powerful histological markers in carcinoma diagnosis and frequently in prognosis. Most patients distinguish their carcinoma from all other cells, as shown by strong autoimmune responses to T antigen. These responses are readily measured by assays, and they allow detection of carcinomas with greater sensitivity and specificity frequently earlier than previously possible. Moreover, the extent of T and Tn expression often correlates with carcinoma differentiation; on a molecular level, clustered T- and Tn-active structures on carcinoma cell surfaces may be involved in invasion.