Synthesis of oligomeric phosphono analogues of Leishmania lipophosphoglycan fragments

Synthetic neoglycoconjugates of cell-surface phosphoglycans of Leishmania as potential anti-parasite carbohydrate vaccines

Leishmania are a genus of sandfly-transmitted protozoan parasites that cause a spectrum of debilitating and often fatal diseases in humans throughout the tropics and subtropics. During the parasite life cycle, Leishmania survive and proliferate in highly hostile environments. Their survival strategies involve the formation of an elaborate and dense cell-surface glycocalyx composed of diverse stage-specific glycoconjugates that form a protective barrier. Phosphoglycans constitute the variable structural and functional domain of major cell-surface lipophosphoglycan and secreted proteophosphoglycans. In this paper, we discuss structural aspects of various phosphoglycans from Leishmania with the major emphasis on the chemical preparation of neoglycoconjugates (neoglycoproteins and neoglycolipids) based on Leishmania lipophosphoglycan structures as well as the immunological evaluation for some of them as potential anti-leishmaniasis vaccines.

Probing elongating and branching β-D-galactosyltransferase activities in Leishmania parasites by making use of synthetic phosphoglycans

Protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania synthesize lipophosphoglycans (LPGs), phosphoglycans and proteophosphoglycans that contain phosphosaccharide repeat units of [-6)Gal(β1-4)Man(α1-OPO(3)H-]. The repeat structures are assembled by sequential addition of Manα1-OPO(3)H and β-Gal. In this study, an UDP-Gal-dependent activity was detected in L. donovani and L. major membranes using synthetic phospho-oligosaccharide fragments of lipophosphoglycan as acceptor substrates. Incubation of a microsomal preparation from L. donovani or L. major parasites with synthetic substrates and UDP-[6-(3)H]Gal resulted in incorporation of radiolabel into these exogenous acceptors. The [(3)H]galactose-labeled products were characterized by degradation into radioactive, low molecular mass fragments upon hydrolysis with mild acid and treatment with β-galactosidases. We showed that the activity detected with L. donovani membranes is the elongating β-d-galactosyltransferase associated with LPG phosphosaccharide backbone biosynthesis (eGalT). The eGalT activity showed a requirement for the presence of at least one phosphodiester group in the substrate and it was enhanced dramatically when two or three phosphodiester groups were present. Using the same substrates we detected two types of galactosyltransferase activity in L. major membranes: the elongating β-d-galactosyltransferase and a branching β-d-galactosyltransferase (bGalT). Both L. major enzymes required a minimum of one phosphodiester group present in the substrate, but acceptors with two or three phosphodiester groups were found to be superior.

Efficient synthesis of highly active phospha-isosteres of the influenza neuraminidase inhibitor oseltamivir

With a Hunsdiecker-Barton iododecarboxylation strategy, we converted the carboxylate group of the oseltamivir precursor into exemplary phosphonate monoesters. In all cases, K(i) values towards influenza virus sialidase remained in the sub-nanomolar range. We have thus made valuable structural space available for the design of novel oseltamivir-based tools for influenza virus research.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of phosphono analogues of capsular polysaccharide fragments from Neisseria meningitidis A

Neisseria meningitidis type A (MenA) is a Gram-negative encapsulated bacterium that may cause explosive epidemics of meningitis, especially in the sub-Saharan region of Africa. The development and manufacture of an efficient glycoconjugate vaccine against Neisseria meningitidis A is greatly hampered by the poor hydrolytic stability of its capsular polysaccharide, which is made up of (1-->6)-linked 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-alpha-D-mannopyranosyl phosphate repeating units. Since this chemical lability is a product of the inherent instability of the phosphodiester bridges, here we report the synthesis of phosphonoester-linked oligomers of N-acetyl mannosamine as candidates for stabilised analogues of the corresponding phosphate-bridged saccharides. The installation of each interglycosidic phosphonoester linkage was achieved by Mitsunobu coupling of a glycosyl C-phosphonate building block with the 6-OH moiety of a mannosaminyl residue. Each of the synthesised compounds contains an O-linked aminopropyl spacer at its reducing end (alpha- or beta-oriented) to allow for protein conjugation. The relative affinities of the synthetic molecules were investigated by a competitive ELISA assay and showed that a human polyclonal anti-MenA serum can recognise both the phosphonoester-bridged fragments 1-3 and their monomeric subunits, glycosides 20 and 21. Moreover, the biological results suggest that the abilities of these compounds to inhibit the binding of a specific antibody to MenA polysaccharide are dependent on the chain lengths of the molecules, but independent on the orientations of the anomeric linkers.

Synthesis of stable C-phosphonate analogues of Neisseria meningitidis group A capsular polysaccharide structures using modified Mitsunobu reaction conditions

Examples of synthetic C-phosphonate analogues of microbial polysaccharide structures containing inter-residue phosphodiester linkages are most rare. The successful construction of such analogues of the Neisseria meningitidis Group A capsular polysaccharide is described. Using a modified Mitsunobu reaction (tris(4-chlorophenyl)phosphine, DIAD, excess of Et3N) between an anomeric C-phosphonate monoester and a 6-OH ManNAc acceptor a high yield (88%) of a dimer was obtained. Transformation of the dimer into a new 6-OH acceptor through deacetylation and further reaction with the elongating C-phosphonate monomer employing the same conditions afforded the trimer in 92% yield. Iteration of the procedure then afforded the tetramer with a coupling yield of 85%. The di-, tri- and tetramer were deprotected to give target structures ready for conjugation to a carrier protein and subsequent immunological evaluation.

Building a successful structural motif into sialylmimetics-cyclohexenephosphonate monoesters as pseudo-sialosides with promising inhibitory properties

A variable synthesis of a new class of sialylmimetics which provides access to pseudo-sialosides containing the successful cyclohexene motif in the sialic acid mimicking part has been developed. The D- and L-xylo cyclohexenephosphonate scaffolds allow attachment of selected aglycons or aglycon mimetics via mixed phosphonate diester strategies and some target compounds thus synthesized displayed promising inhibitory properties when tested with parasitic or bacterial sialidases.

An efficient route for the synthesis of glycosyl phosphinic acids

An efficient method for the synthesis of glycosyl phosphinic acids (21) from the corresponding C-phosphonates is described. The route developed involves three steps: reduction of the glycosyl C-phosphonate to a primary phosphine, reaction of this product with an alkylating agent to afford a secondary phosphine, and finally oxidation to the phosphinic acid. Deprotection provides compounds suitable for testing as glycosyl phosphate analogues. Although the focus of this report is the synthesis of analogues of arabinofuranosyl-containing phosphate esters, the method should be readily applicable to other systems, carbohydrate or otherwise.