Design of α-S-Neoglycopeptides Derived from MUC1 with a Flexible and Solvent-Exposed Sugar Moiety

Reverse-engineering the anti-MUC1 antibody 139H2 by mass spectrometry-based de novo sequencing

Mucin 1 (MUC1) is a transmembrane mucin expressed at the apical surface of epithelial cells at mucosal surfaces. MUC1 has a barrier function against bacterial invasion and is well known for its aberrant expression and glycosylation in adenocarcinomas. The MUC1 extracellular domain contains a variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) of 20 amino acids, which are heavily O-linked glycosylated. Monoclonal antibodies against the MUC1 VNTR are powerful research tools with applications in the diagnosis and treatment of MUC1-expressing cancers. Here, we report direct mass spectrometry-based sequencing of anti-MUC1 hybridoma-derived 139H2 IgG, enabling reverse-engineering of the functional recombinant monoclonal antibody. The crystal structure of the 139H2 Fab fragment in complex with the MUC1 epitope was solved, revealing the molecular basis of 139H2 binding specificity to MUC1 and its tolerance to O-glycosylation of the VNTR. The available sequence of 139H2 will allow further development of MUC1-related diagnostic, targeting, and treatment strategies.

Mirror Image Mucins and Thio Mucins with Tunable Biodegradation

Mucin glycoproteins are the major component of mucus and are integral to the cellular glycocalyx. Mucins play diverse roles in health and disease, are an important element in epithelial tissue models, and have broad therapeutic potential. All mucin applications are currently challenged by their inherent structural heterogeneity and degradation by proteases. In this study, we describe the synthesis and study of chemically defined mucin analogues bearing native glycans. We utilized combinations of enantiomer amino acids and glycan thioether linkages to achieve tunable proteolysis while maintaining cytocompatibility and binding activity. Structural characterization revealed a previously unknown mirror-image helix and sheds light on the molecular drivers of glycoprotein conformation. This work represents an important step toward the development of artificial mucins for biomedical applications.

Synthesis of C-linked α-Gal and α-GalNAc-1'-hydroxyalkanes by way of C2 functionality transfer

Inspired by reports of water sculpted Tn antigen (α-GalNAc-O-Ser/Thr) epitopes and our interest in producing metabolically more stable C-linked analogs of Tn, we explored the utility of C2 functionality on α-Gal-C-alkenes to deliver hydroxyl to the pendant alkenyl chain. Toward this end, a cyclic carbonate approach gave rise to a single C-linked α-Gal-1'(S)-hydroxyethane in 3 steps, and use of a 2-(hydroxyimino)galactoside cyclization transferred an oxygen to a pendant cis-substituted C-linked alkene affording the R-configuration at the newly formed stereocenter (7:1 dr). Reduction and acetylation of the resultant isoxazoline demonstrated this approach as a viable route to C-linked α-GalNAc-1'-hydroxyalkanes.

Synthesis and immunological evaluation of the unnatural β-linked mucin-1 Thomsen-Friedenreich conjugate

MUC1 glycopeptides are attractive antigens for anti-cancer vaccine development. One potential drawback in using the native MUC1 glycopeptide for vaccine design is the instability of the O-glycosyl linkage between the glycan and the peptide backbone to glycosidase. To overcome this challenge, a MUC1 glycopeptide mimic has been synthesized with the galactose-galactosamine disaccharide linked with threonine (Thomsen-Friedenreich or Tf antigen) through an unnatural β-glycosyl bond. The resulting MUC1-β-Tf had a much-enhanced stability toward a glycosidase capable of cleaving the glycan from the corresponding MUC1 glycopeptide with the natural α-Tf linkage. The MUC1-β-Tf was subsequently conjugated with a powerful carrier bacteriophage Qβ. The conjugate induced high levels of IgG antibodies in clinically relevant human MUC1 transgenic mice, which cross-recognized not only the natural MUC1-α-Tf glycopeptide but also MUC1 expressing tumor cells, supporting the notion that a simple switch of the stereochemistry of the glycan/peptide linkage can be a strategy for anti-cancer vaccine epitope design for glycopeptides.

Applications of Thiol-Ene Chemistry for Peptide Science

Radical thiol-ene chemistry has been demonstrated for a range of applications in peptide science, including macrocyclization, glycosylation and lipidation amongst a myriad of others. The thiol-ene reaction offers a number of advantages in this area, primarily those characteristic of "click" reactions. This provides a chemical approach to peptide modification that is compatible with aqueous conditions with high orthogonality and functional group tolerance. Additionally, the use of a chemical approach for peptide modification affords homogeneous peptides, compared to heterogeneous mixtures often obtained through biological methods. In addition to peptide modification, thiol-ene chemistry has been applied in novel approaches to biological studies through synthesis of mimetics and use in development of probes. This review will cover the range of applications of the radical-mediated thiol-ene reaction in peptide and protein science.

Carbohydrates: Potential Sweet Tools Against Cancer

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Cancer, one of the most devastating degenerative diseases nowadays, is one of the main targets in Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmaceutical industry. Due to the significant increase in the incidence of cancer within world population, together with the complexity of such disease, featured with a multifactorial nature, access to new drugs targeting different biological targets connected to cancer is highly necessary.

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Among the vast arsenal of compounds exhibiting antitumor activities, this review will cover the use of carbohydrate derivatives as privileged scaffolds. Their hydrophilic nature, together with their capacity of establishing selective interactions with biological receptors located on cell surface, involved in cell-to-cell communication processes, has allowed the development of an ample number of new templates useful in cancer treatment.

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Their intrinsic water solubility has allowed their use as of pro-drug carriers for accessing more efficiently the pharmaceutical targets. The preparation of glycoconjugates in which the carbohydrate is tethered to a pharmacophore has also allowed a better permeation of the drug through cellular membranes, in which selective interactions with the carbohydrate motifs are involved. In this context, the design of multivalent structures (e.g. gold nanoparticles) has been demonstrated to enhance crucial interactions with biological receptors like lectins, glycoproteins that can be involved in cancer progression.

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Moreover, the modification of the carbohydrate structural motif, by incorporation of metal complexes, or by replacing their endocyclic oxygen, or carbon atoms with heteroatoms has led to new antitumor agents.

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Such diversity of sugar-based templates with relevant antitumor activity will be covered in this review.

Synthesis of aryl-thioglycopeptides through chemoselective Pd-mediated conjugation

We describe herein a Pd-catalyzed methodology for the thioglycoconjugation of iodoaryl peptides and aminoacids. This operationally simple process occurs under semi-aqueous conditions and displays wide substrate scope. The strategy has been successfully applied to both the thioglycosylation of unprotected peptides and the generation of thioglyco-aminoacid building blocks, including those suitable for solid phase peptide synthesis. To demonstrate the broad potential of this technique for late stage functionalization, we successfully incorporated challenging unprotected β-S-GlcNAc- and α-S-GalNAc-derivatives into very long unprotected peptides. This study opens the way to new applications in chemical biology, considering the well-recognized advantages of S-glycosides over O-glycosides in terms of resistance towards both enzymatic and chemical degradation.

Epitopes of MUC1 Tandem Repeats in Cancer as Revealed by Antibody Crystallography: Toward Glycopeptide Signature-Guided Therapy

Abnormally O-glycosylated MUC1 tandem repeat glycopeptide epitopes expressed by multiple types of cancer have long been attractive targets for therapy in the race against genetic mutations of tumor cells. Glycopeptide signature-guided therapy might be a more promising avenue than mutation signature-guided therapy. Three O-glycosylated peptide motifs, PDTR, GSTA, and GVTS, exist in a tandem repeat HGVTSAPDTRPAPGSTAPPA, containing five O-glycosylation sites. The exact peptide and sugar residues involved in antibody binding are poorly defined. Co-crystal structures of glycopeptides and respective monoclonal antibodies are very few. Here we review 3 groups of monoclonal antibodies: antibodies which only bind to peptide portion, antibodies which only bind to sugar portion, and antibodies which bind to both peptide and sugar portions. The antigenicity of peptide and sugar portions of glyco-MUC1 tandem repeat were analyzed according to available biochemical and structural data, especially the GSTA and GVTS motifs independent from the most studied PDTR. Tn is focused as a peptide-modifying residue in vaccine design, to induce glycopeptide-binding antibodies with cross reactivity to Tn-related tumor glycans, but not glycans of healthy cells. The unique requirement for the designs of antibody in antibody-drug conjugate, bi-specific antibodies, and chimeric antigen receptors are also discussed.

Rapid phenolic O-glycosylation of small molecules and complex unprotected peptides in aqueous solvent

Glycosylated natural products and synthetic glycopeptides represent a significant and growing source of biochemical probes and therapeutic agents. However, methods that enable the aqueous glycosylation of endogenous amino acid functionality in peptides without the use of protecting groups are scarce. Here, we report a transformation that facilitates the efficient aqueous O-glycosylation of phenolic functionality in a wide range of small molecules, unprotected tyrosine, and tyrosine residues embedded within a range of complex, fully unprotected peptides. The transformation, which uses glycosyl fluoride donors and is promoted by Ca(OH)₂, proceeds rapidly at room temperature in water, with good yields and selective formation of unique anomeric products depending on the stereochemistry of the glycosyl donor. High functional group tolerance is observed, and the phenol glycosylation occurs selectively in the presence of virtually all side chains of the proteinogenic amino acids with the singular exception of Cys. This method offers a highly selective, efficient, and operationally simple approach for the protecting-group-free synthesis of O-aryl glycosides and Tyr-O-glycosylated peptides in water.

Principles of mucin structure: implications for the rational design of cancer vaccines derived from MUC1-glycopeptides

Cancer is currently one of the world's most serious public health problems. Significant efforts are being made to develop new strategies that can eradicate tumours selectively without detrimental effects to healthy cells. One promising approach is focused on the design of vaccines that contain partially glycosylated mucins in their formulation. Although some of these vaccines are in clinical trials, a lack of knowledge about the molecular basis that governs the antigen presentation, and the interactions between antigens and the elicited antibodies has limited their success thus far. This review focuses on the most significant milestones achieved to date in the conformational analysis of tumour-associated MUC1 derivatives both in solution and bound to antibodies. The effect that the carbohydrate scaffold has on the peptide backbone structure and the role of the sugar in molecular recognition by antibodies are emphasised. The outcomes summarised in this review may be a useful guide to develop new antigens for the design of cancer vaccines in the near future.

Heterovalent Glycodendrimers as Epitope Carriers for Antitumor Synthetic Vaccines

The large majority of TACA-based (TACA=Tumor-Associated Carbohydrate Antigens) antitumor vaccines target only one carbohydrate antigen, thereby often resulting in the incomplete destruction of cancer cells. However, the morphological heterogeneity of the tumor glycocalix, which is in constant evolution during malignant transformation, is a crucial point to consider in the design of vaccine candidates. In this paper, an efficient synthetic strategy based on orthogonal chemoselective ligations to prepare fully synthetic glycosylated cyclopeptide scaffolds grafted with both Tn and TF antigen analogues is reported. To evaluate their ability to be recognized as tumor antigens, direct interaction ELISA assays have been performed with the anti-Tn monoclonal antibody 9A7. Although both heterovalent structures showed binding capacities with 9A7, the presence of the second TF epitope did not interfere with the recognition of Tn except in one epitope arrangement. This heterovalent glycosylated structure thus represents an attractive epitope carrier to be further functionalized with T-cell peptide epitopes.

Site-Selective Modification of Proteins with Oxetanes

Oxetanes are four-membered ring oxygen heterocycles that are advantageously used in medicinal chemistry as modulators of physicochemical properties of small molecules. Herein, we present a simple method for the incorporation of oxetanes into proteins through chemoselective alkylation of cysteine. We demonstrate a broad substrate scope by reacting proteins used as apoptotic markers and in drug formulation, and a therapeutic antibody with a series of 3-oxetane bromides, enabling the identification of novel handles (S-to-S/N rigid, non-aromatic, and soluble linker) and reactivity modes (temporary cysteine protecting group), while maintaining their intrinsic activity. The possibility to conjugate oxetane motifs into full-length proteins has potential to identify novel drug candidates as the next-generation of peptide/protein therapeutics with improved physicochemical and biological properties.

Recent advances in photoinduced glycosylation: oligosaccharides, glycoconjugates and their synthetic applications

Carbohydrates have been demonstrated to perform imperative act in biological processes. This review highlights recent uses of photoinduced glycosylation in carbohydrate chemistry for the synthesis of oligosaccharides, thiosugars, glycoconjugates and glycoprotein.