The Role Played by Lewis Antigens in Tumor Cells

Tumor recurrence and metastasis are the main causes of death in cancer patients, and abnormal glycosylation is one of the important mechanisms of malignant tumor metastasis. Lewis oligosaccharide antigen, a component of the sugar chain in the cell-surface glycol complexes (glycoproteins, glycolipids, and proteoglycans), is abnormally increased in its synthesis in a variety of tumors and is closely related to tumor proliferation, infiltration, metastasis, clinical staging, and prognosis. Therefore, the research on Lewis oligosaccharide antigens is crucial for the treatment of tumors. Among them, Le^y-Le^x dimer was isolated from human colon adenocarcinoma cells, and the antigen is found only on the surface of adenocarcinoma cells, thus it is a highly specific marker for colon malignant tumors, and consequently a target for the development of tumor-related vaccines.

Fig.1 Le^y-Le^x heptasaccharide. (Buskas, et al., 2005)

Tumor-Associated Le^y-Le^x Antigen Production Service at CD BioGlyco

CD BioGlyco has established a Vaccine Development Platform to focus on vaccine development. Based on this platform, we have developed a variety of methods for the production of tumor-associated antigens. For tumor-associated Le^y-Le^x antigen production, we offer methods including, but not limited to, chemical and enzymatic methods.

• Chemical method
  The main synthesis routes included are
  • One-pot synthesis
    It is a synthesis from the non-reducing end to the reducing end, allowing multi-step coupling reactions to take place in a single reaction vessel. This not only avoids separation of the reaction intermediates but also eliminates the need for additional protecting group manipulation of the reaction intermediates.
  • Solid-phase synthesis
    Solid-phase synthesis of Lewis oligosaccharide antigens is accomplished by solidly loading the nucleophile (i.e., glycosyl acceptor) onto the resin via a suitable linker arm. This method is consistent with the direction of sugar chain synthesis in organisms and is convenient for the construction of branching sugars.
  • Tag-assisted synthesis
    This method is based on solid-phase synthesis and uses a tag molecule instead of a resin to accomplish the synthesis of glycan antigens. In addition, this method can prepare sugar chains in large quantities.
• Enzymatic method
  The enzymatic method we provide will use monosaccharides as substrates, and under the catalytic action of specific glycosyltransferases, fucosylation modifications are precisely introduced into multiple fucosylation sites, followed by protection-deprotection, phosphorylation, and other processes to complete the preparation of Lewis glycan antigens, including Lewis dimer antigens. In addition, the method is highly stereospecific and selective.

Fig.2 Methods of Le^y-Le^x antigen production. (CD BioGlyco)

In addition to antigen synthesis, CD BioGlyco also provides vaccine development services. Because of the specific expression of Le^y-Le^x dimers on the surface of tumor cells, CD BioGlyco will use this as the centerpiece for the development of tumor-related vaccines in combination with preservatives, stabilizers, surfactants, diluents, and adjuvants.

Fig.3 Composition of vaccines. (CD BioGlyco)

Applications

• In pharmaceutical research and development, Le^y-Le^x antigen can be used in the development of anti-tumor drugs.
• Le^y-Le^x antigen is found only on the surface of adenocarcinoma cells, so it can be used to detect the development of malignant tumors in the colon.
• Le^y-Le^x antigen is a glycolipid, and its production can be used to develop glycolipid-based vaccines.

Advantages

• We have a wide range of antigen production methods and offer the ability to develop exclusive production programs for our clients.
• From antigen production to vaccine development, we provide a one-stop service that greatly saves clients' time.

CD BioGlyco has developed a vaccine development platform to provide antigen production and vaccine development service. We have multiple routes in the production of Le^y-Le^x antigen. At the same time, we have high-level laboratories to provide our clients with high-quality production results. To learn more about our R&D services, please feel free to contact us.

Reference

1. Buskas, T.; et al. Synthesis of a dimeric Lewis antigen and the evaluation of the epitope specificity of antibodies elicited in mice. Chem. Eur. J. 2005, 11: 5457-5467.