Synthesis of Mannose Building Blocks for Preparation of O-Mannosylated Glycans

O-mannosylated glycoproteins are characterized by attachment of an oligosaccharide through mannose to serine or threonine of a protein, and are characterized as m1, m2, or m3, according to their structural motifs. These glycoproteins are found in skeletal muscle tissue, and are in abundance in nerve tissue. They are critical for human development and disruption of the glycoprotein results in various diseases such as muscular dystrophy. However, the functions of these glycoproteins are not well understood, and their extraction from cells is difficult. In order to provide m1, m2, and m3 glycans for further study, we have prepared four mannose building blocks using standard carbohydrate synthesis techniques. In addition, the incorporation of these mannose building blocks into oligosaccharides using automated solution phase oligosaccharide synthesis will be presented in this thesis