Convenient chemoenzymatic synthesis of beta-purine-diphosphate sugars (GDP-fucose-analogues).

A series of peracetylated beta-sugar-1-phosphates with L-fuco configuration are efficiently prepared chemically and coupled in high yields to purine monophosphate bases via imidazolide activation. The resulting purine diphosphate sugars are deacetylated completely by a mild treatment with commercial acetylesterase (EC 3.1.1.6) to give donor-substrates for fucosyl-transferases.