Rapid synthesis of a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-based malaria vaccine using automated solid-phase oligosaccharide synthesis

Fluorine-Directed Automated Mannoside Assembly

Automated glycan assembly (AGA) on solid support has become invaluable in reconciling the biological importance of complex carbohydrates with the persistent challenges associated with reproducible synthesis. Whilst AGA platforms have transformed the construction of many natural sugars, validation in the construction of well-defined (site-selectively modified) glycomimetics is in its infancy. Motivated by the importance of fluorination in drug discovery, the biomedical prominence of 2-fluoro sugars and the remarkable selectivities observed in fluorine-directed glycosylation, fluorine-directed automated glycan assembly (FDAGA) is disclosed. This strategy leverages the fluorine atom for stereocontrolled glycosylation on solid support, thereby eliminating the reliance on O-based directing groups. The logical design of C2-fluorinated mannose building blocks, and their application in the fully (α-)stereocontrolled automated assembly of linear and branched fluorinated oligomannosides, is disclosed. This operationally simple strategy can be integrated into existing AGA and post-AGA protocols to augment the scope of programmed carbohydrate synthesis.

Developing an Effective Glycan-based Vaccine for Streptococcus Pyogenes

Streptococcus pyogenes is a primary infective agent that causes approximately 700 million human infections each year, resulting in more than 500,000 deaths. Carbohydrate-based vaccines are proven to be one of the most promising subunit vaccine candidates, as the bacterial glycan pattern(s) are different from mammalian cells and show increased pathogen serotype conservancy than the protein components. In this review we highlight reverse vaccinology for use in the development of subunit vaccines against S. pyogenes, and report reproducible methods of carbohydrate antigen production, in addition to the structure-immunogenicity correlation between group A carbohydrate epitopes and alternative vaccine antigen carrier systems. We also report recent advances used to overcome hurdles in carbohydrate-based vaccine development.

Polymeric Nanoparticle Based Diagnosis and Nanomedicine for Treatment and Development of Vaccines for Cerebral Malaria: A Review on Recent Advancement

Cerebral malaria occurs due to Plasmodium falciparum infection, which causes 228 million infections and 450,000 deaths worldwide every year. African people are mostly affected with nearly 91% cases, of which 86% are pregnant women and infants. India and Brazil are the other two countries severely suffering from malaria endemicity. Commonly used drugs have severe side effects, and unfortunately no suitable vaccine is available in the market today. In this line, this review is focused on polymeric nanomaterials and nanocapsules that can be used for the development of effective diagnostic strategies, nanomedicines, and vaccines in the management of cerebral malaria. Further, this review will help scientists and medical professionals by updating the status on the development stages of polymeric nanoparticle based diagnostics, nanomedicines, and vaccines and strategies to eradicate cerebral malaria. In addition to this, the predominant focus of this review is antimalarial agents based on polymer nanomedicines that are currently in the preclinical and clinical trial stages, and potential developments are suggested as well. This review further will have an important social and commercial impact worldwide for the development of polymeric nanomedicines and strategies for the treatment of cerebral malaria.

Automated Glycan Assembly: A Perspective

The intrinsic complexity of carbohydrate structures has hampered access to pure glycans and hence impeded progress in the glycosciences. Automated Glycan Assembly (AGA) has facilitated the procurement of synthetic glycans, to be used in diagnostics, vaccine development, enzyme characterization and structure-function relationship studies. A general approach for obtaining complex glycans from mammalian, bacterial, fungal and plant classes provides molecular tools for glycobiology research. Recent advances in AGA technology pave the way for the production of novel carbohydrate materials. This perspective describes the state-of-the art of AGA and aspects of the technology where additional improvements are needed.

Targeting Glycans on Human Pathogens for Vaccine Design

Glycosylation is an important post-translational modification that is required for structural and stability purposes and functional roles such as signalling, attachment and shielding. Many human pathogens such as bacteria display an array of carbohydrates on their surface that are non-self to the host; others such as viruses highjack the host-cell machinery and present self-carbohydrates sometimes arranged in a non-self more immunogenic manner. In combination with carrier proteins, these glycan structures can be highly immunogenic. During natural infection, glycan-binding antibodies are often elicited that correlate with long-lasting protection. A great amount of research has been invested in carbohydrate vaccine design to elicit such an immune response, which has led to the development of vaccines against the bacterial pathogens Haemophilus influenzae type b, Streptococcus pneumonia and Neisseria meningitidis. Other vaccines, e.g. against HIV-1, are still in development, but promising progress has been made with the isolation of broadly neutralizing glycan-binding antibodies and the engineering of stable trimeric envelope glycoproteins. Carbohydrate vaccines against other pathogens such as viruses (Dengue, Hepatitis C), parasites (Plasmodium) and fungi (Candida) are at different stages of development. This chapter will discuss the challenges in inducing cross-reactive carbohydrate-targeting antibodies and progress towards carbohydrate vaccines.

Toward the Development of the Next Generation of a Rapid Diagnostic Test: Synthesis of Glycophosphatidylinositol (GPI) Analogues of Plasmodium falciparum and Immunological Characterization

A large number of proteins in malaria parasites are anchored using glycophosphatidylinositols (GPIs) with lipid tails. These GPIs are structurally distinct from human GPIs. Plasmodium falciparum GPIs have been considered as potential vaccine candidates because these molecules are involved in inducing inflammatory responses in human hosts, and natural anti-GPI antibody responses have been shown to be associated with protection against severe disease. GPIs can also be considered as targets for rapid diagnostic tests. Because isolation of native GPIs in large quantities is challenging, development of synthetic GPI molecules can facilitate further exploration of GPI molecules for diagnostics. Here, we report synthesis and immunological characterization of a panel of malaria-specific GPI analogues. A total of three GPI analogues were chemically synthesized and conjugated to a carrier protein to immunize and generate antibodies in rabbits. The rabbit immune sera showed reactivity with synthetic GPIs and native GPIs extracted from P. falciparum parasite, as determined by Luminex and ELISA methods.

Automated assembly of oligosaccharides containing multiple cis-glycosidic linkages

Automated glycan assembly (AGA) has advanced from a concept to a commercial technology that rapidly provides access to diverse oligosaccharide chains as long as 30-mers. To date, AGA was mainly employed to incorporate trans-glycosidic linkages, where C2 participating protecting groups ensure stereoselective couplings. Stereocontrol during the installation of cis-glycosidic linkages cannot rely on C2-participation and anomeric mixtures are typically formed. Here, we demonstrate that oligosaccharides containing multiple cis-glycosidic linkages can be prepared efficiently by AGA using monosaccharide building blocks equipped with remote participating protecting groups. The concept is illustrated by the automated syntheses of biologically relevant oligosaccharides bearing various cis-galactosidic and cis-glucosidic linkages. This work provides further proof that AGA facilitates the synthesis of complex oligosaccharides with multiple cis-linkages and other biologically important oligosaccharides.

Automated glycan assembly has proven a powerful method to rapidly synthesize large oligosaccharides, though stereoselective cis-glycosylation remains a challenge. Here, the authors demonstrate a system to selectively incorporate multiple cis-glycosidic linkages by use of remote participating groups.

Chemical biology approaches to designing defined carbohydrate vaccines

Carbohydrate antigens have shown promise as important targets for developing effective vaccines and pathogen detection strategies. Modifying purified microbial glycans through synthetic routes or completely synthesizing antigenic motifs are attractive options to advance carbohydrate vaccine development. However, limited knowledge on structure-property correlates hampers the discovery of immunoprotective carbohydrate epitopes. Recent advancements in tools for glycan modification, high-throughput screening of biological samples, and 3D structural analysis may facilitate antigen discovery process. This review focuses on advances that accelerate carbohydrate-based vaccine development and various technologies that are driving these efforts. Herein we provide a critical overview of approaches and resources available for rational design of better carbohydrate antigens. Structurally defined and fully synthetic oligosaccharides, designed based on molecular understanding of antigen-antibody interactions, offer a promising alternative for developing future carbohydrate vaccines.

Nanoarchitectonics of biomolecular assemblies for functional applications

The stringent processes of natural selection and evolution have enabled extraordinary structure-function properties of biomolecules. Specifically, the archetypal designs of biomolecules, such as amino acids, nucleobases, carbohydrates and lipids amongst others, encode unparalleled information, selectivity and specificity. The integration of biomolecules either with functional molecules or with an embodied functionality ensures an eclectic approach for novel and advanced nanotechnological applications ranging from electronics to biomedicine, besides bright prospects in systems chemistry and synthetic biology. Given this intriguing scenario, our feature article intends to shed light on the emerging field of functional biomolecular engineering.

Synthetic oligosaccharides as active pharmaceutical ingredients: lessons learned from the full synthesis of one heparin derivative on a large scale

Covering: up to November 2013. Heparin and heparan sulfate are natural polysaccharides with strong structural variations, which are responsible for their numerous specific biological properties. One key target of heparin, among others, is antithrombin, a serine protease inhibitor that, upon activation, mainly targets anticoagulation factors IIa and Xa. It is well documented that inhibition of the latter is due to a specific pentasaccharidic sequence, its synthetic analog being the registered drug fondaparinux. The replacement of hydroxyls by methoxy groups, N-sulfates by O-sulfonates and the modulation of the sulfation pattern gave rise to both idraparinux and its neutralizable form, idrabiotaparinux, two pentasaccharides with a significantly increased half-life compared to fondaparinux. Although numerous efforts have been devoted to improving the chemoenzymatic preparation of heparin fragments, enzymes are usually selective for their natural substrates, which limits the generation of some specific non-natural structures. Up to now, total synthesis has proved to be a valuable approach for the preparation of tailor-made and pure saccharides in the milligram to gram scale. This highlight will focus on the synthesis and the technical challenges associated with the development and the production of complex carbohydrates which will be exemplified with idrabiotaparinux. Particular attention will be paid to the process improvements needed in order to implement the production in a pilot plant, achieving batch generation on a multi-kilogram scale with a purity higher than 99.5%, and with no unknown impurity over 0.1%.

Glycotherapy: new advances inspire a reemergence of glycans in medicine

The beginning of the 20(th) century marked the dawn of modern medicine with glycan-based therapies at the forefront. However, glycans quickly became overshadowed as DNA- and protein-focused treatments became readily accessible. The recent development of new tools and techniques to study and produce structurally defined carbohydrates has spurred renewed interest in the therapeutic applications of glycans. This review focuses on advances within the past decade that are bringing glycan-based treatments back to the forefront of medicine and the technologies that are driving these efforts. These include the use of glycans themselves as therapeutic molecules as well as engineering protein and cell surface glycans to suit clinical applications. Glycan therapeutics offer a rich and promising frontier for developments in the academic, biopharmaceutical, and medical fields.

9.05 Technology-Enabled Synthesis of Carbohydrates

Automated solid-phase oligosaccharide synthesis has revolutionized the emerging field of glycomics. The automation process, in which selectively functionalized monosaccharide building blocks are added sequentially to a growing oligosaccharide chain connected via an inert linker to a solid support, has been used to prepare a number of biologically relevant oligosaccharide-based constructs in record time and on scales that would have been impossible using standard solution-phase synthetic techniques. This review highlights recent developments in automated solid-phase oligosaccharide synthesis including engineering advancements that have led to the design of a fully automated platform, new and improved linker strategies that have broadened the scope of the chemical reactions that can be used in automation, and recent developments in the synthesis of functionalized monosaccharide building blocks. The automated solid-phase synthesis of biologically relevant carbohydrate constructs including bacterial and viral antigens, cancer antigens, vaccine candidates, and N-linked core oligosaccharides is also presented.

Surface-tethered iterative carbohydrate synthesis: a spacer study

Comparative study of Surface-Tethered Iterative Carbohydrate Synthesis (STICS) using HPLC-assisted experimental setup clearly demonstrates benefits of using longer spacer-anchoring systems. The use of mixed self-assembled monolayers helps provide the required space for glycosylation reaction around the immobilized glycosyl acceptor. Both extension of the spacer length and using mixed self-assembled monolayers help promote the reaction, and the beneficial effects may include moving the glycosyl acceptor further out into solution and providing additional conformational flexibility. It is possible that surface-immobilized glycosyl acceptors with a longer spacer (C8-O-C8)-lipoic acid have a higher tendency to mimic a solution-phase reaction environment than acceptors with shorter spacers.

Synthetic Studies of Glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) Anchors and GPI-Anchored Peptides, Glycopeptides, and Proteins

Glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchorage of proteins and glycoproteins onto the cell surface is ubiquitous in eukaryotes, and GPI-anchored proteins and glycoproteins play an important role in many biological processes. To study GPI anchorage and explore the functions of GPIs and GPI-anchored proteins and glycoproteins, it is essential to have access to these molecules in homogeneous and structurally defined forms. This review is focused on the progress that our laboratory has made towards the chemical and chemoenzymatic synthesis of structurally defined GPI anchors and GPI-anchored peptides, glycopeptides, and proteins. Briefly, highly convergent strategies were developed for GPI synthesis and were employed to successfully synthesize a number of GPIs, including those carrying unsaturated lipids and other useful functionalities such as the azido and alkynyl groups. The latter enabled further site-specific modification of GPIs by click chemistry. GPI-linked peptides, glycopeptides, and proteins were prepared by regioselective chemical coupling of properly protected GPIs and peptides/glycopeptides or through site-specific ligation of synthetic GPIs and peptides/glycopeptides/proteins under the influence of sortase A. The investigation of interactions between GPI anchors and pore-forming bacterial toxins by means of synthetic GPI anchors and GPI analogs is also discussed.

Chemical biology of glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchors

Glycosylphosphatidylinositols (GPIs) are complex glycolipids that are covalently linked to the C-terminus of proteins as a posttranslational modification. They anchor the attached protein to the cell membrane and are essential for normal functioning of eukaryotic cells. GPI-anchored proteins are structurally and functionally diverse. Many GPIs have been structurally characterized but comprehension of their biological functions, beyond the simple physical anchoring, remains largely speculative. Work on functional elucidation at a molecular level is still limited. This Review focuses on the roles of GPI unraveled by using synthetic molecules and summarizes the structural diversity of GPIs, as well as their biological and chemical syntheses.

Carbohydrate synthesis and biosynthesis technologies for cracking of the glycan code: recent advances

The glycan code of glycoproteins can be conceptually defined at molecular level by the sequence of well characterized glycans attached to evolutionarily predetermined amino acids along the polypeptide chain. Functional consequences of protein glycosylation are numerous, and include a hierarchy of properties from general physicochemical characteristics such as solubility, stability and protection of the polypeptide from the environment up to specific glycan interactions. Definition of the glycan code for glycoproteins has been so far hampered by the lack of chemically defined glycoprotein glycoforms that proved to be extremely difficult to purify from natural sources, and the total chemical synthesis of which has been hitherto possible only for very small molecular species. This review summarizes the recent progress in chemical and chemoenzymatic synthesis of complex glycans and their protein conjugates. Progress in our understanding of the ways in which a particular glycoprotein glycoform gives rise to a unique set of functional properties is now having far reaching implications for the biotechnology of important glycodrugs such as therapeutical monoclonal antibodies, glycoprotein hormones, carbohydrate conjugates used for vaccination and other practically important protein-carbohydrate conjugates.

Toward automated oligosaccharide synthesis

Carbohydrates have been shown to play important roles in biological processes. The pace of development in carbohydrate research is, however, relatively slow due to the problems associated with the complexity of carbohydrate structures and the lack of general synthetic methods and tools available for the study of this class of biomolecules. Recent advances in synthesis have demonstrated that many of these problems can be circumvented. In this Review, we describe the methods developed to tackle the problems of carbohydrate-mediated biological processes, with particular focus on the issue related to the development of the automated synthesis of oligosaccharides. Further applications of carbohydrate microarrays and vaccines to human diseases are also highlighted.

Chemical synthesis and functionalization of clickable glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchors

Glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchorage is a common posttranslational modification of eukaryotic proteins. Chemical synthesis of structurally defined GPIs and GPI derivatives is a necessary step toward understanding the properties and functions of these molecules in biological systems. In this work, the synthesis of several functionalized GPI anchors was accomplished using the para-methoxybenzyl (PMB) group for permanent hydroxyl protection, which allowed the incorporation of functionalities that are incompatible with permanent protecting groups traditionally used in carbohydrate synthesis. A flexible convergent-divergent assembly strategy enabled efficient access to a diverse set of target structures, including "clickable" Alkynyl-GPIs 1 and 2 and Azido-GPI 3. For global deprotection, a one-pot reaction was employed to afford the target GPIs in excellent yields (85-97%). Fully deprotected clickable GPIs 2 and 3 were readily conjugated to imaging and affinity probes via Cu(I)-catalyzed and Cu-free strain-promoted [3+2] cycloaddition, respectively, resulting in GPI-Fluor 4 and GPI-Biotin 5.

Synthetic inositol phosphoglycans related to GPI lack insulin-mimetic activity

Insulin signaling has been suggested, at least in part, to be affected by an insulin-mimetic species of low molecular weight. These inositol phosphoglycans (IPGs) are generated upon growth hormone/cytokine stimulation and control the activity of a multitude of insulin effector enzymes. The minimal structural requirements of IPGs for insulin-mimetic action have been debated. Two types of IPGs were suggested, and the IPG-A type resembles the core glycan of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchors. In fact, purified GPI-anchors of lower eukaryotic origin have been shown to influence glucose homeostasis. To elucidate active IPGs, a collection of synthetic IPGs designed on the basis of previous reports of activity were tested for their insulin-mimetic activity. In vitro and ex vivo assays in rodent adipose tissue as well as in vivo analyses in mice were employed to test the synthetic IPGs. None of the IPGs we tested mimic insulin actions as determined by PKB/Akt phosphorylation and quantification of glucose transport and lipogenesis. Furthermore, none of the IPGs had any effect in in vivo insulin tolerance assays. In stark contrast to previous claims, we conclude that neither of the compounds tested is insulin-mimetic.

Synthesis of a glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor bearing unsaturated lipid chains

A GPI anchor bearing unsaturated fatty acid lipid chains (1) was synthesized by a highly convergent strategy employing the para-methoxybenzyl group for permanent hydroxyl protection. The final global deprotection was achieved by an efficient three-step, one-pot procedure to give an 81% isolated yield of the target structure.

Carbohydrate-based therapeutics

In recent years there has been a resurgence of interest in the biological roles of carbohydrates and as a result it is now known that carbohydrates are involved in a vast array of disease processes. This review summarises progress in the development of carbohydrate-based therapeutics that involve: inhibition of carbohydrate-lectin interactions; immunisation, using monoclonal antibodies for carbohydrate antigens; inhibition of enzymes that synthesise disease-associated carbohydrates; replacement of carbohydrate-processing enzymes; targeting of drugs to specific disease cells via carbohydrate-lectin interactions; carbohydrate based anti-thrombotic agents.