Synthesis of glycosylated β3-homo-threonine conjugates for mucin-like glycopeptide antigen analogues

Glycopeptides from the mucin family decorated with tumour-associated carbohydrate antigens (TACA) have proven to be important target structures for the development of molecularly defined anti-cancer vaccines. The strategic incorporation of β-amino acid building blocks into such mucin-type sequences offers the potential to create pseudo-glycopeptide antigens with improved bioavailability for tumour immunotherapy. Towards this end, TN and TF antigen conjugates O-glycosidically linked to Fmoc-β3-homo-threonine were prepared in good yield via Arndt–Eistert homologation of the corresponding glycosyl α-amino acid derivative. By incorporation of TN-Fmoc-β3hThr conjugate into the 20 amino acid tand…