Synthesis of antifungal vaccines by conjugation of β-1,2 trimannosides with T-cell peptides and covalent anchoring of neoglycopeptide to tetanus toxoid

Abstract

Selective strategies for the construction of novel three component glycoconjugate vaccines presenting Candida albicans cell wall glycan (β-1,2 mannoside) and polypeptide fragments on a tetanus toxoid carrier are described. The first of two conjugation strategies employed peptides bearing an N-terminal thiopropionyl residue for conjugation to a trisaccharide equipped with an acrylate linker and a C-terminal S-acetyl thioglycolyl moiety for subsequent linking of neoglycopeptide to bromoacetylated tetanus toxoid. Michael addition of acrylate trisaccharides to peptide thiol under mildly basic conditions gave a mixture of N- and C- terminal glyco-peptide thioethers. An adaptation of this strategy coordinated S-acyl protection with anticipated thioester exchange equilibria. This furnished a single chemically defined fully synthetic neoglycopeptide conjugate that could be anchored to a tetanus toxoid carrier and avoids the introduction of exogenous antigenic groups. The second strategy retained the N-terminal thiopropionyl residue but replaced the C-terminal S-acetate functionality with an azido group that allowed efficient, selective formation of neoglycopeptide thioethers and subsequent conjugation of these with propargylated tetanus toxoid, but introduced potentially antigenic triazole linkages.

Keywords: Glycoconjugate vaccine; Glycopeptide tetanus toxoid conjugate; Synthesis of glycopeptide; Thiol thioester exchange.