The work in this thesis has been focused on two subjects. The first is the assembly of alginate oligosaccharides and the generation of building blocks for the enzymatic synthesis of alginate,... Show moreThe work in this thesis has been focused on two subjects. The first is the assembly of alginate oligosaccharides and the generation of building blocks for the enzymatic synthesis of alginate, and the second is the total synthesis of large fragments of the zwitterionic SP1 polysaccharide. With these fragments, details about alginate biosynthesis can be obtained through binding studies with biosynthesis enzymes, conjugate vaccines can be generated and binding studies with major histocompatibility complex II molecules can be studied. Show less
In this thesis new strategies towards biologically active oligosaccharides are described. In addition a detailed mechanistic study is performed to investigate the stereodirecting capacity of... Show moreIn this thesis new strategies towards biologically active oligosaccharides are described. In addition a detailed mechanistic study is performed to investigate the stereodirecting capacity of glycosyl C-5 substituents in systems that were devoid of any other stereodirecting factors. The postulated mechanism described here can aid in the design of glycosylation strategies. Show less
