Helicobacter pylori, the most common cause of
chronic gastritis, peptic ulcers, and gastric cancers, infects around
half of the world’s population. Although the drawbacks of antibiotic-based
combination therapy are emerging, no effective vaccine is available
to prevent H. pylori infections. Here, we describe
the total synthesis of the unique α-(1→3)-linked tri-d-glycero-d-manno-heptose antigen from the lipopolysaccharide of H. pylori serogroups O3 and O6 and strains MO19, D2, D4, and D5 based on de novo synthesis of the differentially protected d-glycero-d-manno-heptosyl
building blocks. Immunization of mice with the semisynthetic glycoconjugate
elicited a very robust T-cell-dependent antigen-specific immune response,
resulting in very high titers of IgG1 and IgG2b protective antibody
isotypes. The postimmune sera recognized H. pylori NCTC 11637 and bound strongly to the surface of the intact bacteria.