Chemical Synthesis and Antigenicity Evaluation of an Aminoglycoside Trisaccharide Repeating Unit of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Serotype O5 O-Antigen Containing a Rare Dimeric-ManpN3NA.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria are becoming increasingly resistant against multiple antibiotics. Therefore, the development of vaccines to prevent infections with these bacteria is an urgent medical need. While the immunological activity of lipopolysaccharide O-antigens in P. aeruginosa is well-known, the specific protective epitopes remain unidentified. Herein, we present the first chemical synthesis of highly functionalized aminoglycoside trisaccharide 1 and its acetamido derivative 2 found in the P. aeruginosa serotype O5 O-antigen. The synthesis of the trisaccharide targets is based on balancing the reactivity of disaccharide acceptors and monosaccharide donors. Glycosylations were analyzed by quantifying the reactivity of the hydroxyl group of the disaccharide acceptor using the orbital-weighted Fukui function and dual descriptor. The stereoselective formation of 1,2-cis-α-fucosylamine linkages was achieved through a combination of remote acyl participation and reagent modulation. The simultaneous SN2 substitution of azide groups at C2' and C2″ enabled the efficient synthesis of 1,2-cis-ß-linkages for both 2,3-diamino-D-mannuronic acids. Through a strategic orthogonal modification, the five amino groups on target trisaccharide 1 were equipped with a rare acetamidino (Am) and four acetyl (Ac) groups. Glycan microarray analyses of sera from patients infected with P. aeruginosa indicated that trisaccharides 1 and 2 are key antigenic epitopes of the serotype O5 O-antigen. The acetamidino group is not an essential determinant of antibody binding. The ß-D-ManpNAc3NAcA residue is a key motif for the antigenicity of serotype O5 O-antigen. These findings serve as a foundation for the development of glycoconjugate vaccines targeting P. aeruginosa serotype O5.

Secondary Sites of the C-type Lectin-Like Fold.

C-type lectins are a large superfamily of proteins involved in a multitude of biological processes. In particular, their involvement in immunity and homeostasis has rendered them attractive targets for diverse therapeutic interventions. They share a characteristic C-type lectin-like domain whose adaptability enables them to bind a broad spectrum of ligands beyond the originally defined canonical Ca2+-dependent carbohydrate binding. Together with variable domain architecture and high-level conformational plasticity, this enables C-type lectins to meet diverse functional demands. Secondary sites provide another layer of regulation and are often intricately linked to functional diversity. Located remote from the canonical primary binding site, secondary sites can accommodate ligands with other physicochemical properties and alter protein dynamics, thus enhancing selectivity and enabling fine-tuning of the biological response. In this review, we outline the structural determinants allowing C-type lectins to perform a large variety of tasks and to accommodate the ligands associated with it. Using the six well-characterized Ca2+-dependent and Ca2+-independent C-type lectin receptors DC-SIGN, langerin, MGL, dectin-1, CLEC-2 and NKG2D as examples, we focus on the characteristics of non-canonical interactions and secondary sites and their potential use in drug discovery endeavors.

Anomeric configuration-dependence of the Lattrell-Dax epimerization from D-glucose to synthetically useful D-allose derivatives.

D-Allose and its derivatives play important roles in the field of health care and food nutrition. Pure and well-defined D-allose derivatives can facilitate the elucidation of their structure-activity relationship as an essential step for drug design. The Lattrell-Dax epimerization, refers to the triflate inversion using nitrite reagent, is known as valuable method for the synthesis of rare D-allose derivatives. Here, the influence of protecting group patterns on the transformation efficiency of D-glucose derivatives into synthetically useful D-alloses and D-allosamines via the Lattrell-Dax epimerization was studied. For C3 epimerization of D-glucose derivatives bearing O2-acyl group, an anomeric configuration-dependent acyl migration from O2 to O3 was found. In addition, a neighbouring group participation effect-mediated SN1 nucleophilic substitution of the D-glucosamine bearing C2 trichloroacetamido (TCA) group in the Lattrell-Dax epimerization was dependent upon anomeric configuration. Thus, the effect of anomeric configuration on the Lattrell-Dax epimerization of D-glucose suggests that ß-D-glucosides with low steric hindrance at C2 should be better substrates for the synthesis of D-allose derivatives. Significantly, the efficient synthesis of the orthogonally protected D-allose 13 and D-allosamine 18 will serve well for further assembly of complex glycans.