Jianglong Zhu

Native Chemical Ligation at Valine: A Contribution to Peptide and Glycopeptide Synthesis†

Our laboratory has been pursuing the total synthesis of naturally occurring glycoproteins bearing multiple oligosaccharide domains. Specifically, efforts are well underway to accomplish a de novo total synthesis of erythropoietin alpha (EPO), in homogeneous form.[1] Although a variety of peptide ligation strategies have been developed to facilitate the merger of large, complex peptide and glycopeptide fragments,[2–9] the need for highly efficient methodology continues to motivate the chemical community to develop more powerful strategies. Our pursuit of the total synthesis of homogeneous erythropoietin (EPO) as well as other biologically active glycopeptides has inspired new glycopeptide ligations.[10] To achieve our most complex goals, we must learn how to overcome the serious obstacles in joining glycopeptides in an iterative fashion.

Enantioselective Synthesis of Bicyclo[2.2.2]octenones Using a Copper-Mediated Oxidative Dearomatization/[4 + 2] Dimerization Cascade1

An enantioselective approach to bicyclo[2.2.2]octenone structures utilizing a copper-mediated asymmetric oxidative dearomatization/[4 + 2] dimerization cascade is described. The total synthesis and absolute stereochemistry reassignment of (+)-aquaticol has been achieved using the methodology.

From Synthesis to Biologics: Preclinical Data on a Chemistry Derived Anticancer Vaccine

A fully synthetic anticancer vaccine 2 has been prepared via bioconjugation of unimolecular pentavalent construct 1-containing five prostate and breast cancer associated carbohydrate antigens, Globo-H, GM2, STn, TF and Tn-to maleimide-modified carrier protein KLH. An improved conjugation protocol has been developed, which allowed us to obtain a higher epitope ratio of the unimolecular pentavalent glycopeptide antigen to the carrier protein (505/1 versus 228/1 for the previous version). KLH conjugate 2 has been subsequently submitted to preclinical immunogenic evaluation in mice in the presence of QS-21 as an adjuvant. Through standard ELISA assay, this vaccine candidate showed high promise in inducing IgG and IgM antibodies against each of the five individual carbohydrate antigens. In addition, FACS analysis indicated that these antibodies were able to react with MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines expressing these five carbohydrate antigens.

Biologics through Chemistry : Total Synthesis of a Proposed Dual-Acting Vaccine Targeting Ovarian Cancer by Orchestration of Oligosaccharide and Polypeptide Domains

Carbohydrate and peptide-based antitumor vaccine constructs featuring clusters of both tumor associated carbohydrate antigens and mucin-like peptide epitopes have been designed, synthesized, and studied. The mucin-based epitopes are included to act, potentially, as T-cell epitopes in order to provoke a strong immune response. Hopefully the vaccine will simulate cell surface architecture, thereby provoking levels of immunity against cancer cell types displaying such characteristics. With this central idea in mind, we designed a new vaccine type against ovarian cancer. Following advances in glycohistology, our design is based on clusters of Gb(3) antigen and also incorporates a MUC5AC peptide epitope. The vaccine is among the most complex targeted constructs to be assembled by chemical synthesis to date. The strategy for the synthesis employed a Gb(3)-MUC5AC thioester cassette as a key building block. Syntheses of both nonconjugate and KLH-conjugated vaccines constructs have been accomplished.

Synthetic Carbohydrate-Based Anticancer Vaccines: The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Experience

Malignantly transformed cells can express aberrant cell surface glycosylation patterns, which serve to distinguish them from normal cells. This phenotype provides an opportunity for the development of carbohydrate-based vaccines for cancer immunotherapy. Synthetic carbohydrate-based vaccines, properly introduced through vaccination of a subject with a suitable construct, should be recognized by the immune system. Antibodies induced against these carbohydrate antigens could then participate in the eradication of carbohydrate-displaying tumor cells. Advances in carbohydrate synthetic capabilities have allowed us to efficiently prepare a range of complex, synthetic anticancer vaccine candidates. We describe herein the progression of our longstanding carbohydrate-based anticancer vaccine program, which is now at the threshold of clinical evaluation in several contexts. Our carbohydrate-based anticancer vaccine program has evolved through a number of stages: monomeric vaccines, monomeric clustered vaccines, unimolecular multi-antigenic vaccines and dual-acting vaccines. This account will focus on our recently developed unimolecular multi-antigenic constructs and potential dual-acting constructs, which contain clusters of both carbohydrate and peptide epitopes.

Direct Synthesis of 2-Deoxy-β-Glycosides via Anomeric O-Alkylation with Secondary Electrophiles

An approach for direct synthesis of biologically significant 2-deoxy-β-glycosides has been developed via O-alkylation of a variety of 2-deoxy-sugar-derived anomeric alkoxides using challenging secondary triflates as electrophiles. It was found a free hydroxyl group at C3 of the 2-deoxy-sugar-derived lactols is required in order to achieve synthetically efficient yields. This method has also been applied to the convergent synthesis of a 2-deoxy-β-tetrasaccharide.

Encouraging Progress in the ω-Aspartylation of Complex Oligosaccharides as a General Route to β-N-Linked Glycopolypeptides

Described herein is a method for the joining of complex peptides to complex oligosaccharides via an N-linkage. The ω-aspartylation is conducted by coupling fully deprotected glycosylamine with a peptide containing a unique thioacid at the ω-aspartate carboxyl. In the presence of HOBT, under conditions that, in principle, allow for oxidation, complex components are combined in encouraging yields to produce structurally and stereochemically defined N-linked glycopolypeptides wherein the carbohydrate domain can be quite complex. Various mechanisms for oxidative coupling are proposed.

Synthesis of the Azaphilones (+)-Sclerotiorin and (+)-8-O-Methylsclerotiorinamine Utilizing (+)-Sparteine Surrogates in Copper-Mediated Oxidative Dearomatization

Enantioselective syntheses of the azaphilone natural products (+)-sclerotiorin and (+)-8-O-methylsclerotiorinamine that possess the natural R-configuration at the quaternary center are reported. The syntheses were accomplished using copper-mediated asymmetric dearomatization employing bis-μ-oxo copper complexes prepared from readily available (+)-sparteine surrogates. Of note, site-selective O-methylation of a vinylogous pyridone was used to access the isoquinolin-6(7H)-one core of (+)-8-O-methylsclerotiorinamine.

Total Synthesis of the 2,6-Sialylated Immunoglobulin G Glycopeptide Fragment in Homogeneous Form

The 2,6-sialylated tridecasaccharide 1 associated with the Fc fragment of intravenous immunoglobulin has been synthesized.

Total Synthesis of Antitumor Antibiotic Derhodinosylurdamycin A.

The first total synthesis of derhodinosylurdamycin A, an angucycline antitumor antibiotic, has been described. The synthesis features a Hauser annulation followed by pinacol coupling to construct the tetracyclic angular aglycon, a Stille coupling of glycal stannane and tetracyclic aryliodide followed by stereoselective reduction to afford the 2-deoxy β-C-arylglycoside, and a late-stage stereoselective glycosylation for the preparation of derhodinosylurdamycin A. This synthetic strategy should be amenable to the chemical synthesis of analogs of derhodinosylurdamycin A bearing diverse 2-deoxy sugar subunits for structure and activity relationship studies.