Being among the most prevalent of persistent infectious agents in humans worldwide, Helicobacter pylori induces chronic inflammation (gastritis), which may progress to peptic ulceration and stomach cancer. The ability to adhere to the gastric mucosa is considered to be both a colonization and virulence property of H. pylori. For adherence, H. pylori expresses surface-located attachment proteins (adhesins) that bind to specific receptors in the gastric mucosa. The best characterized H. pylori adhesin-receptor interaction is that between the blood group antigen binding adhesin (BabA) and the fucosylated blood group antigens, which are glycans highly expressed in the gastric mucosa. Our recent results have changed the view of the blood group antigen-specific binding mode of H. pylori. We have tested clinical isolates of H. pylori from human populations worldwide for their ability to bind to ABO blood group antigens. The results revealed that more than 95% of isolates from Sweden, Germany, Spain, Japan and Alaska that bind fucosylated blood group antigens, bind both the Lewis b antigen (Leb) (of blood group O) and the blood group A-related antigen A-Lewis b, i.e. they exhibit a generalist type of binding mode. In contrast, the majority of strains (62%) from South American Amerindians bound best to Leb, i.e. they exhibit a specialist blood group “O antigen” binding mode. This specialization in binding coincides with the unique predominance of blood group O in the South American Amerindian populations. Furthermore, we also showed that H. pylori could switch from specialist to generalist binding modes by chromosomal integration of foreign babA gene fragments. A mutant strain lacking the babA gene turned out to adhere to inflamed gastric epithelium, despite the fact that it did not bind Leb. We identified the receptor to which the mutant binds to as the sialyl-dimeric-Lewis x antigen (sdiLex) and found its expression to be associated with persistent H. pylori infection and chronic inflammation, both in humans and Rhesus monkeys. The cognate sialic acid binding adhesin (SabA) was identified by our ReTagging technique. Deletion of sabA caused loss of H. pylori binding to sialylated glycans, and screening of single colony isolates revealed a high frequency of spontaneous on⇒off phase variation in sLex binding. Using erythrocytes as a model for sialyl dependent cell adhesion, we could show that SabA is the sought-after H. pylori sialyl-dependent hemagglutinin. Swedish clinical H. pylori isolates were analyzed for sialyl-dependent hemagglutination (sia-HA), and the sia-HA titers were found to be highly correlated to the levels of sLex binding. Clinical isolates were shown to exhibit several distinct binding modes for sialylated glycans, which suggest that SabA exhibit polymorphism in binding. We also found that SabA binds to sialylated glycans on neutrophil surfaces by mechanisms involving “selectin mimicry”, and that SabA plays an important role in nonopsonic activation of neutrophils. In the human stomach, H. pylori is exposed to selective pressures such as immune and inflammatory responses, and this is reflected by changes in mucosal glycosylation patterns. The high mutation and recombination rates of H. pylori in combination with bio selection will continuously generate clones that are adapted to changes in individual gastric mucosa. Such adaptive selection contributes to the remarkable diversity in binding modes and to the extraordinary chronicity of H. pylori infections worldwide.

Les acides ulosoniques constituent une famille de monosaccharides complexes dont les glycoconjugués présentent des propriétés biologiques importantes. L’acide sialique ou acide N-acétylneuraminique (Neu5Ac), membre le plus couramment rencontré de cette famille joue notamment un rôle dans l’infection par le virus Influenza. La liaison α-O-glycosylée des résidus naturels de Neu5Ac est cependant sensible à l’hydrolyse chimique et enzymatique. La synthèse d’analogues C-glycosylés qui présentent l’avantage d’être non-hydroysables, constituent alors un axe de recherche de grand intérêt. Les dérivés C-sialylés peuvent être préparés de manière rapide et efficace selon une méthode de couplage de type Reformatsky promue par le diiodure de samarium. Le travail réalisé au cours de cette thèse propose de nouvelles méthodes impliquant l’utilisation de ce métal divalent et permettant un accès rapide à des structures C-sialylées originales. Les réactions de samariation réductice réalisées sur des substrats sialylés fonctionnalisés par un groupement amide ont sélectivement conduit, après réduction d’un acétate anomère à l’obtention d’α-C-sialosides. Ces réactions sont réalisées dans les conditions de Barbier et d’excellents rendements ont été obtenus lorsque des cétones cycliques sont utilisées comme partenaire électrophile. Nous avons également montré qu’il était possible d’appliquer la samariation réductrice à la formation d’α-C-sialylspirolactones. La cyclisation est assurée par réaction de l’intermédiaire réactionnel sur un piège anionique de type cétone introduit sur le sucre grâce à la fonction acide carboxylique en position 2. Cette réaction peut être effectuée au départ de précurseurs porteurs de groupements réductibles acétate ou 2-thiopyridyle. Finalement, un travail méthodologique nous a permis de développer pour la première fois une synthèse sélective de β-C-sialosides. Sous l’action du samarium divalent en présence d’électrophile, la structure figée ⁵C₂ du dérivé lactonique bicylique de l’acide sialique identifié par Ogura en 1988, conduit sélectivement à des produits de couplage de configuration β. Les résultats obtenus par réduction d’un groupement anomère de type tosylate sont les plus encourageants. / Ulosonic acids are a complex monosaccharide family whose glycoconjugates present important biological properties. Sialic acid or N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac), the most widespread member of this family, plays a crucial role in the infection with the virus Influenza. As the α-O-glycosidic bond of Neu5Ac conjugates is sensitive towards chemical and enzymatic hydrolysis, the synthesis of carbonated analogs that are not hydrolysable represents an important subject of research. The aim of our project was to develop new synthetic methods using samarium diiodide in order to obtain original C-sialylated structures. These derivatives can be easily prepared using Reformatsky coupling reactions promoted by this very efficient reductive reagent. Reductive samariation conditions applied to sialylated substrates functionalized by an amide group, selectively led to α-C-sialosides, via the reduction of the anomeric acetate group. These reactions were performed at room temperature under Barbier conditions and excellent yields of coupling products were obtained using ketones as electrophilic partner. We have also demonstrated that reductive samariation could be applied to the synthesis of α-C-sialylspirolactones. The Sm(II) mediated cyclizations were enable by reactions of the anomeric organometallic intermediates with keto anionic traps linked to the sugar via esterification of the carboxylic acid function of sialic acid derivatives. These reactions were conducted starting from sugar derivatives either with acetate or 2-thiopyridyle reductible groups in anomeric position. Finally, we have developed a new and selective synthesis of β-C-sialosides. Submitted to samarium diiodide in presence of electrophile, the conformationaly restricted ⁵C₂ bicyclic lactonic silalyl derivative described by Ogura in 1988, selectively led to β-coupling products. Our last results obtained from reductions of the anomeric tosylale group were the most promising.

L'adenocarcinoma pancreàtic és una neoplàsia amb mal pronòstic per la que no existeixen marcadors específics. En aquesta tesi s'han estudiat possibles alteracions de les estructures glucídiques de la ribonucleasa pancreàtica humana (RNasa 1) de sèrum amb l'objectiu de determinar el seu ús diagnòstic. S'han descrit les estructures glucídiques de la RNasa 1 sèrica i de línies cel·lulars endotelials, i s'ha observat un increment en la proporció d'estructures biantenàries amb Fc en la RNasa 1 sèrica de pacients amb càncer de pàncreas, fet que podria ser d'utilitat diagnòstica. També, donada la gran similitud entre les estructures glucídiques descrites per la RNasa 1 sèrica i per l'endotelial, l'origen de la RNasa 1 sèrica sembla ser principalment endotelial. La RNasa 1 també s'ha avaluat per electroforesi bidimensional i s'ha establert una correlació entre el contingut d'àcid siàlic i el seu pI, fet que pot ajudar a la interpretació dels mapes bidimensionals d'altres glicoproteïnes. / Pancreatic adenocarcinoma has one of the highest mortality rates of all neoplasias and it has no specific markers. In this work, possible alterations in the glycan structures of human pancreatic ribonuclease (RNase 1) present in serum are investigated with the aim of determining its diagnostic utility. Serum and endothelial RNase 1 glycan structures have been described and an increase of biantennary structures with Fc in serum RNasen 1 from pancreatic cancer patients could be observed, what can be of diagnosis utility. Also, due to the high similarity between serum RNase 1 and endothelial RNase 1 glycan structures, it was concluded that endothelium can be the main producer of serum RNase 1. RNase 1 was also evaluated by two-dimensional electrophoresis and a correlation between the sialic acid content and the observed pI decrease could be establish, what may be very significant for understanding and interpreting two-dimensional maps from other glycoproteins.