Chemical Synthesis and Antigenicity Evaluation of <i>Shigella dysenteriae</i> Serotype 10 O-Antigen Tetrasaccharide Containing a (<i>S</i>)-4,6-<i>O</i>-Pyruvyl Ketal
Chunjun Qin, Lingxin Li, Guangzong Tian, Meiru Ding, Shengyong Zhu, Wuqiong Song, Jing Hu, Peter H. Seeberger, Jian Yin
Abstract
Shigella is the second most common etiologic pathogen responsible for childhood acute diarrhea. An anti-Shigella vaccine is still eagerly awaited due to the increasing drug resistance of this pathogen. The Shigella O-antigen is a promising vaccine target. To identify the immune epitopes of the glycan, the first total synthesis of Shigella dysenteriae serotype 10 O-antigen tetrasaccharide containing a (S)-4,6-O-pyruvyl ketal was completed. The 1,2-trans-β-glycosylation & C2 epimerization and conformational locking strategies facilitated the construction of two 1,2-cis-β-glycosidic linkages. The reactivities of both the glycosyl donor and acceptor were improved by adding electron-donating benzyl groups, enabling an efficient assembly of the tetrasaccharide. The (S)-4,6-O-pyruvyl ketal was introduced at the final stage due to its influence on the glycosylation stereospecificity and efficiency. In addition, (R)-4,6-O-pyruvylated and nonpyruvylated tetrasaccharides and three further fragments were synthesized. Glycan microarray screening revealed that the tetrasaccharide repeating unit is the key antigenic epitope of the O-antigen. Moreover, the (S)-4,6-O-pyruvyl ketal is an essential structural feature of this antigen for designing carbohydrate-based vaccines against S. dysenteriae serotype 10. The comparison of the (S)-4,6-O-pyruvylated glycan and its (R)-epimer will set an example for biological evaluation of other bacterial glycans containing pyruvyl ketals.