A Route to Polyprenol Pyrophosphate-Based Probes of O-Polysaccharide Biosynthesis in Klebsiella pneumoniae O2a

An approach for the assembly of polyprenol pyrophosphate-based probes of O-polysaccharide biosynthesis in Klebsiella pneumoniae serotype O2a is described. This convergent route features high-yielding, diastereoselective glycosylations and the late-stage installation of the polyprenol pyrophosphate moiety. Although applied to the synthesis of a nonasaccharide bearing a farnesyl group (1), the modular nature of the route makes it amenable to the synthesis of additional derivatives containing either larger glycans or different lipid domains.