Synthesis of Pseudooligosaccharides Related to the Capsular Phosphoglycan of Haemophilus influenzae Type a .

Synthesis of spacer-armed pseudodi-, pseudotetra-, and pseudohexasaccharides related to the capsular phosphoglycan of Haemophilus influenzae type a , the second most virulent serotype of H. influenzae (after type b ), was performed for the first time via iterative chain elongation using H-phosphonate chemistry for the formation of inter-unit phosphodiester bridges. These compounds were prepared for the design of neoglycoconjugates, as exemplified by the transformation of the obtained pseudohexasaccharide derivative into a biotinylated glycoconjugate suitable for use in immunological studies, particularly in diagnostic screening systems as a coating antigen for streptavidin-coated plates and chip slides.