The synthesis of biotinylated carbohydrates as probes for carbohydrate-recognizing proteins

The intimate involvement of carbohydrate-protein interactions in a number o f important biological processes has prompted several research efforts towa rds developing new met:hods of investigating these glycobiological interact ions. Biotinylated oligosaccharides are emerging as a new and powerful tool in this area of research, primarily due to their high affinity towards str eptavidin and their ease of immobilization on matrices. Here we describe a novel synthetic approach towards biotinylated saccharides which incorporate a UV absorbing group into the final compounds. The synthetic strategy desc ribed is applicable to a variety of saccharides, with examples of biotinyla ted mono-, di-, and trisaccharides being prepared with overall high efficie ncy. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.