Carbasugar-thioether pseudodisaccharides related to N-glycan biosynthesis.

Analogues of the alpha-Glcp-(1-->3)-alpha-Glcp and alpha-Glcp-(1-->3)-alpha-Manp disaccharides (representing the two alpha-gluco linkages cleaved by alpha-Glucosidase II in N-glycan biosynthesis) in which the non-reducing-end sugar is replaced by a carbasugar and the inter-glycosidic oxygen by a sulfur were synthesised. The key coupling step was an S(N)2 displacement of an equatorial triflate at C-1 of the carbasugar by C-3 gluco or manno thiolates with inversion of configuration to give thioether pseudodisaccharides with axial substitution at C-1 of the carbasugar. The deprotected pseudodisaccharides failed to inhibit the action of alpha-Glucosidase II as measured both by an in vitro assay and by free oligosaccharide (FOS) analysis from cell studies.