Yariv phenylglycosides [1,3,5-tri(p-glycosyloxyphenylazo)-2,4,6-trihydroxybenzene] are a group of chemical compounds that selectively bind to arabinogalactan proteins (AGPs), a type of plant proteoglycan. Yariv phenylglycosides are widely used as cytochemical reagents to perturb the molecular functions of AGPs as well as for the detection, quantification, purification, and staining of AGPs. However, the target structure in AGPs to which Yariv phenylglycosides bind has not been determined. Here, we identify the structural element of AGPs required for the interaction with Yariv phenylglycosides by stepwise trimming of the arabinogalactan moieties using combinations of specific glycoside hydrolases. Whereas the precipitation with Yariv phenylglycosides (Yariv reactivity) of radish (Raphanus sativus) root AGP was not reduced after enzyme treatment to remove a-L-arabinofuranosyl and b-glucuronosyl residues and b-1,6-galactan side chains, it was completely lost after degradation of the b-1,3-galactan main chains. In addition, Yariv reactivity of gum arabic, a commercial product of acacia (Acacia senegal) AGPs, increased rather than decreased during the repeated degradation of b-1,6-galactan side chains by Smith degradation. Among various oligosaccharides corresponding to partial structures of AGPs, b-1,3-galactooligosaccharides longer than b-1,3-galactoheptaose exhibited significant precipitation with Yariv in a radial diffusion assay on agar. A pull-down assay using oligosaccharides cross linked to hydrazine beads detected an interaction of b-1,3-galactooligosaccharides longer than b-1,3-galactopentaose with Yariv phenylglycoside. To the contrary, no interaction with Yariv was detected for b-1,6-galactooligosaccharides of any length. Therefore, we conclude that Yariv phenylglycosides should be considered specific binding reagents for b-1,3-galactan chains longer than five residues, and seven residues are sufficient for cross linking, leading to precipitation of the Yariv phenylglycosides.Arabinogalactan proteins (AGPs) are a type of plant proteoglycans consisting of a Hyp-rich core protein and large arabinogalactan (AG) moieties (Fincher et al., 1983;Nothnagel, 1997). Although there are many molecular species of AGP differentiated by their core proteins, the AG moieties commonly comprise b-1,3-galactan main chains and b-1,6-galactan side chains, to which L-Ara and other auxiliary sugars, such as GlcA, 4-O-methyl-GlcA, L-Fuc, L-Rha, and Xyl, are attached (Fincher et al., 1983;Nothnagel, 1997;Seifert and Roberts, 2007). A commercial product of AGPs prepared from the acacia (Acacia senegal) tree is known as gum arabic and utilized as a food stabilizer. In the Japanese herbal remedy Juzen-Taiho-To, AGs from Astragalus membranaceus are the active ingredient (Majewska-Sawka and Nothnagel, 2000;Kiyohara et al., 2002). In intact plants, AGPs are implicated in various physiological events and serve as extracellular constituents and signaling molecules. For instance, an AGP from stylar transmitting tissue attracts pollen tub...

An efficient and elegant synthesis of alpha(2,8)-oligosialosides is described. The 5-N,4-O-carbonyl-protected sialyl donor undergoes alpha-sialylation in CH2Cl2 to give alpha(2,8)- and alpha(2,9)-disialosides in excellent yields. The 5-N,4-O-carbonyl protecting group was effective in improving the reactivity of the C8 hydroxyl groups toward glycosylation. Using the sialyl building block, the synthesis of tetra-alpha(2,8)-sialic acid was accomplished by using a simple glycosidation and deprotection protocol.

A 36-step synthesis was carried out in automated synthesizers to provide a synthetic key intermediate of taxol. A key step involved a microwave-assisted alkylation reaction to construct the ABC ring system from an AC precursor. Subsequent formation of the D ring afforded baccatin III, a well-known precursor of taxol.

The development of highly efficient amide bond forming methods which are devoid of side reactions, including epimerization, is important, and such a method is described herein and is based on the concept of rapid and strong activation of carboxylic acids. Various carboxylic acids are rapidly (0.5 s) converted into highly active species, derived from the inexpensive and less-toxic solid triphosgene, and then rapidly (4.3 s) reacted with various amines to afford the desired peptides in high yields (74 %–quant.) without significant epimerization (≤3 %). Our process can be carried out at ambient temperature, and only CO2 and HCl salts of diisopropylethyl amine are generated. In the long history of peptide synthesis, a significant number of active coupling reagents have been abandoned because the highly active electrophilic species generated are usually susceptible to side reactions such as epimerization. The concept presented herein should renew interest in the use of these reagents.

We have achieved a total synthesis of telomestatin, and its absolute configuration was determined to be (R). Coupling of cysteine-containing trisoxazole amine and serine-containing trisoxazole carboxylic acid, followed by macrocyclization, provided a 24-membered diamide. The seventh oxazole ring was formed by a Shin's procedure via dehydroamide. Cyclodehydration of a modified (R)-cysteine-(S-(t)Bu) moiety using Kelly's method (PPh3(O)-Tf2O) with anisole furnished (R)-telomestatin, whose CD spectrum was in good agreement with that of the natural product.