Synthesis of Oligosaccharides for Interaction Studies with Various Lectins

In this thesis, the syntheses of oligosaccharides for interaction studies with various lectins are described. The first section reports the syntheses of tetra, tri- and disaccharides corresponding to truncated versions of the glucosylated arm of Glc1Man9(GlcNAc)2, found in the biosynthesis of N-glycans. The thermodynamic parameters of their interaction with calreticulin, a lectin assisting and promoting the correct folding of newly synthesised glycoproteins, were established by isothermal titration calorimetry. In the second section, a new synthetic pathway leading to the same tetra- and trisaccharides is discussed. Adoption of a convergent strategy and of a different protecting group pattern resulted in significantly increased yields of the target structures. The third section describes the syntheses of a number of monodeoxy-trisaccharides related to the above trisaccharide Glc-α-(1→3)-Man-α-(1→2)-Man-α-OMe. Differentsynthetic approaches were explored and the choice of early introduction of the deoxy functionality proved the most beneficial. In the last section, the synthesis of spacer-linked LacNAc dimers as substrates for the lectins galectin-1 and -3 is presented. This synthesis was realized by glycosidation of a number diols with peracetylated LacNAc-oxazoline. Pyridinium triflate was tested as a new promoter, affording the target dimers in high yields. This promoter in combination with microwave irradiation gave even higher yields and also shortened the reaction times