Mapping the effect of configuration and protecting group pattern on glycosyl acceptor reactivity

Anomeric Triflates versus Dioxanium Ions: Different Product-Forming Intermediates from 3-Acyl Benzylidene Mannosyl and Glucosyl Donors

Minimal structural differences in the structure of glycosyl donors can have a tremendous impact on their reactivity and the stereochemical outcome of their glycosylation reactions. Here, we used a combination of systematic glycosylation reactions, the characterization of potential reactive intermediates, and in-depth computational studies to study the disparate behavior of glycosylation systems involving benzylidene glucosyl and mannosyl donors. While these systems have been studied extensively, no satisfactory explanations are available for the differences observed between the 3-O-benzyl/benzoyl mannose and glucose donor systems. The potential energy surfaces of the different reaction pathways available for these donors provide an explanation for the contrasting behavior of seemingly very similar systems. Evidence has been provided for the intermediacy of benzylidene mannosyl 1,3-dioxanium ions, while the formation of the analogous 1,3-glucosyl dioxanium ions is thwarted by a prohibitively strong flagpole interaction of the C-2-O-benzyl group with the C-5 proton in moving toward the transition state, in which the glucose ring adopts a B2,5-conformation. This study provides an explanation for the intermediacy of 1,3-dioxanium ions in the mannosyl system and an answer to why these do not form from analogous glucosyl donors.

Advances in glycoside and oligosaccharide synthesis

The structural complexity of glycans poses a serious challenge in the chemical synthesis of glycosides, oligosaccharides and glycoconjugates. Glycan complexity, determined by composition, connectivity, and configuration far exceeds what nature achieves with nucleic acids and proteins. Consequently, glycoside synthesis ranks among the most complex tasks in organic synthesis, despite involving only a simple type of bond-forming reaction. Here, we introduce the fundamental principles of glycoside bond formation and summarize recent advances in glycoside bond formation and oligosaccharide synthesis.

Total Synthesis and Structural Studies of Zwitterionic Bacteroides fragilis Polysaccharide A1 Fragments

Zwitterionic polysaccharides (ZPSs) are exceptional carbohydrates, carrying both positively charged amine groups and negatively charged carboxylates, that can be loaded onto MHC-II molecules to activate T cells. It remains enigmatic, however, how these polysaccharides bind to these receptors, and to understand the structural features responsible for this "peptide-like" behavior, well-defined ZPS fragments are required in sufficient quantity and quality. We here present the first total synthesis of Bacteroides fragilis PS A1 fragments encompassing up to 12 monosaccharides, representing three repeating units. Key to our successful syntheses has been the incorporation of a C-3,C-6-silylidene-bridged "ring-inverted" galactosamine building block that was designed to act as an apt nucleophile as well as a stereoselective glycosyl donor. Our stereoselective synthesis route is further characterized by a unique protecting group strategy, built on base-labile protecting groups, which has allowed the incorporation of an orthogonal alkyne functionalization handle. Detailed structural studies have revealed that the assembled oligosaccharides take up a bent structure, which translates into a left-handed helix for larger PS A1 polysaccharides, presenting the key positively charged amino groups to the outside of the helix. The availability of the fragments and the insight into their secondary structure will enable detailed interaction studies with binding proteins to unravel the mode of action of these unique oligosaccharides at the atomic level.