12 research outputs found

    Elucidating the role of N-acetylglucosamine in Group A Carbohydrate for the development of an effective glycoconjugate vaccine against Group A Streptococcus

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    Group A Carbohydrate (GAC), conjugated to an appropriate carrier protein, has been proposed as an attractive vaccine candidate against Group A Streptococcus infections. Native GAC consists of a polyrhamnose (polyRha) backbone with N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) at every second rhamnose residue. Both native GAC and the polyRha backbone have been proposed as vaccine components. Here, chemical synthesis and glycoengineering were used to generate a panel of different length GAC and polyrhamnose fragments. Biochemical analyses were performed confirming that the epitope motif of GAC is composed of GlcNAc in the context of the polyrhamnose backbone. Conjugates from GAC isolated and purified from a bacterial strain and polyRha genetically expressed in E. coli and with similar molecular size to GAC were compared in different animal models. The GAC conjugate elicited higher anti-GAC IgG levels with stronger binding capacity to Group A Streptococcus strains than the polyRha one, both in mice and in rabbits. This work contributes to the development of a vaccine against Group A Streptococcus suggesting GAC as preferable saccharide antigen to include in the vaccine

    Controlling Multivalent Binding through Surface Chemistry: Model Study on Streptavidin.

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    Although multivalent binding to surfaces is an important tool in nanotechnology, quantitative information about the residual valency and orientation of surface-bound molecules is missing. To address these questions, we study streptavidin (SAv) binding to commonly used biotinylated surfaces such as supported lipid bilayers (SLBs) and self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). Stability and kinetics of SAv binding are characterized by quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring, while the residual valency of immobilized SAv is quantified using spectroscopic ellipsometry by monitoring binding of biotinylated probes. Purpose-designed SAv constructs having controlled valencies (mono-, di-, trivalent in terms of biotin-binding sites) are studied to rationalize the results obtained on regular (tetravalent) SAv. We find that divalent interaction of SAv with biotinylated surfaces is a strict requirement for stable immobilization, while monovalent attachment is reversible and, in the case of SLBs, leads to the extraction of biotinylated lipids from the bilayer. The surface density and lateral mobility of biotin, and the SAv surface coverage are all found to influence the average orientation and residual valency of SAv on a biotinylated surface. We demonstrate how the residual valency can be adjusted to one or two biotin binding sites per immobilized SAv by choosing appropriate surface chemistry. The obtained results provide means for the rational design of surface-confined supramolecular architectures involving specific biointeractions at tunable valency. This knowledge can be used for the development of well-defined bioactive coatings, biosensors and biomimetic model systems

    Chemoselective Cleavage of <i>p</i>‑Methoxybenzyl and 2‑Naphthylmethyl Ethers Using a Catalytic Amount of HCl in Hexafluoro-2-propanol

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    A new, fast, mild and chemoselective deprotection method to cleave <i>p</i>-methoxybenzyl and 2-naphthylmethyl ethers using catalytic amounts of hydrochloric acid in a 1:1 mixture of hexafluoro-2-propanol (HFIP) and methylene chloride (DCM) is described. The scope of the methodology becomes apparent from 14 examples of orthogonally protected monosaccharides that are subjected to HCl/HFIP treatment. The applicability of the HCl/HFIP method is illustrated by the synthesis of a sulfated β-mannuronic acid disaccharide

    Controlling Multivalent Binding through Surface Chemistry: Model Study on Streptavidin

    No full text
    Although multivalent binding to surfaces is an important tool in nanotechnology, quantitative information about the residual valency and orientation of surface-bound molecules is missing. To address these questions, we study streptavidin (SAv) binding to commonly used biotinylated surfaces such as supported lipid bilayers (SLBs) and self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). Stability and kinetics of SAv binding are characterized by quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring, while the residual valency of immobilized SAv is quantified using spectroscopic ellipsometry by monitoring binding of biotinylated probes. Purpose-designed SAv constructs having controlled valencies (mono-, di-, trivalent in terms of biotin-binding sites) are studied to rationalize the results obtained on regular (tetravalent) SAv. We find that divalent interaction of SAv with biotinylated surfaces is a strict requirement for stable immobilization, while monovalent attachment is reversible and, in the case of SLBs, leads to the extraction of biotinylated lipids from the bilayer. The surface density and lateral mobility of biotin, and the SAv surface coverage are all found to influence the average orientation and residual valency of SAv on a biotinylated surface. We demonstrate how the residual valency can be adjusted to one or two biotin binding sites per immobilized SAv by choosing appropriate surface chemistry. The obtained results provide means for the rational design of surface-confined supramolecular architectures involving specific biointeractions at tunable valency. This knowledge can be used for the development of well-defined bioactive coatings, biosensors and biomimetic model systems

    Photochemical Resolution of a Thermally Inert Cyclometalated Ru(phbpy)(N–N)(Sulfoxide)<sup>+</sup> Complex

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    In this work a photosubstitution strategy is presented that can be used for the isolation of chiral organometallic complexes. A series of five cyclometalated complexes Ru­(phbpy)­(N−N)­(DMSO-κS)]­(PF6) ([1]­PF6-[5]­PF6) were synthesized and characterized, where Hphbpy = 6′-phenyl-2,2′-bipyridyl, and N–N = bpy (2,2′-bipyridine), phen (1,10-phenanthroline), dpq (pyrazino­[2,3-f]­[1,10]­phenanthroline), dppz (dipyrido­[3,2-a:2′,3′-c]­phenazine, or dppn (benzo­[i]­dipyrido­[3,2-a,2′,3′-c]­phenazine), respectively. Due to the asymmetry of the cyclometalated phbpy– ligand, the corresponding [Ru­(phbpy)­(N–N)­(DMSO-κS)]+complexes are chiral. The exceptional thermal inertness of the Ru–S bond made chiral resolution of these complexes by thermal ligand exchange impossible. However, photosubstitution by visible light irradiation in acetonitrile was possible for three of the five complexes ([1]­PF6-[3]­PF6). Further thermal coordination of the chiral sulfoxide (R)-methyl p-tolylsulfoxide to the photoproduct [Ru­(phbpy)­(phen)­(NCMe)]­PF6, followed by reverse phase HPLC, led to the separation and characterization of the two diastereoisomers of [Ru­(phbpy)­(phen)­(MeSO­(C7H7))]­PF6, thus providing a new photochemical approach toward the synthesis of chiral cyclometalated ruthenium­(II) complexes. Full photochemical, electrochemical, and frontier orbital characterization of the cyclometalated complexes [1]­PF6-[5]­PF6 was performed to explain why [4]­PF6 and [5]­PF6 are photochemically inert while [1]­PF6-[3]­PF6 perform selective photosubstitution

    Automated Solid-Phase Synthesis of Hyaluronan Oligosaccharides

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    Well-defined fragments of hyaluronic acid (HA) have been obtained through a fully automated solid-phase oligosaccharide synthesis. Disaccharide building blocks, featuring a disarmed glucuronic acid donor moiety and a di-tert-butylsilylidene-protected glucosamine part, were used in the rapid and efficient assembly of HA fragments up to the pentadecamer level, equipped with a conjugation-ready anomeric allyl function

    Automated Solid-Phase Synthesis of Hyaluronan Oligosaccharides

    No full text
    Well-defined fragments of hyaluronic acid (HA) have been obtained through a fully automated solid-phase oligosaccharide synthesis. Disaccharide building blocks, featuring a disarmed glucuronic acid donor moiety and a di-tert-butylsilylidene-protected glucosamine part, were used in the rapid and efficient assembly of HA fragments up to the pentadecamer level, equipped with a conjugation-ready anomeric allyl function
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