The temperature-dependent binding of copolymers from poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) and mannose ligands to Escherichia coli and concanavalin A (ConA) is determined. Through polymer analogous reactions using poly(N-acryloxysuccinimide) and amine-linked mannose residues with different linkers, glycopolymers are prepared with the variation of the mannose density. Quantitative adhesion inhibition assays show the inhibitory potential of the glycopolymers as a function of the mannose/NIPAM ratio and linker type above and below their lower critical solution temperature (LCST). Intriguingly, opposite temperature effects on the binding to E. coli and ConA are observed. While the E. coli inhibition is stronger above the LCST, the ConA inhibition is, in overall, weaker at elevated temperatures. When going beyond the LCST, the polymers undergo a coil-to-globule transition, forming microphases with surface-enriched hydrophilic sugar moieties exhibiting increased E. coli inhibition through steric shielding. However, the formation of such microphases above the LCST renders a fraction of carbohydrate ligands inaccessible,and the polymers remaining in the solution phase then have coil sizes below the minimum binding site spacing of the ConA receptor, explaining reduced ConA inhibition. Overall, these results suggest that the coil-to-globule transition of glycopolymers may induce lower or higher inhibitory potentials due to the adverse effects of steric shielding and carbohydrate ligand accessibility.

Glycoconjugates are a versatile class of bioactive molecules that have found application as vaccines and antivirals and in cancer therapy. Their synthesis typically involves elaborate functionalization and use of protecting groups on the carbohydrate component in order to ensure efficient and selective conjugation. Alternatively, non-functionalized, non-protected carbohydrates isolated from biological sources or derived through biotechnological methods can be directly conjugated via N-methyloxyamine groups. In this study, we introduce such N-methyloxyamine groups into a variety of multivalent scaffoldsfrom small to oligomeric to polymeric scaffoldsmaking use of solid-phase polymer synthesis to assemble monodisperse sequence-defined macromolecules. These scaffolds are then successfully functionalized with different types of human milk oligosaccharides deriving a library of homo- and heteromultivalent glycoconjugates. Glycomacromolecules presenting oligosaccharide side chains with either α2,3- or α2,6-linked terminal sialic acid are used in a binding study with two types of polyomavirus capsid proteins showing that the multivalent presentation through the N-methyloxyamine-derived scaffolds increases the number of contacts with the protein. Overall, a straightforward route to derive glycoconjugates from complex oligosaccharides with high variability yet control in the multivalent scaffold is presented, and applicability of the derived structures is demonstrated.