SYNTHETIC ARABINOFURANOSYL OLIGOSACCHARIDES AS MYCOBACTERIAL ARABINOSYLTRANSFERASE SUBSTRATES

A series of arabinofuranosyl oligosaccharides found as constituent par ts of the polysaccharide portion of the cell wall of Mycobacterium tub erculosis have been chemically synthesized. Screening of these oligosa ccharides as substrates for arabinosyltransferases present in mycobact erial membrane preparations suggests that modified oligosaccharide ana logs as small as disaccharides may be inhibitors of glycan biosynthesi s. Such inhibitors would be of potential utility as lead compounds in the identification of new drugs for the treatment of mycobacterial inf ections. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.