Chemical synthesis of Haemophilus influenzae glycopeptide conjugates

A simple procedure for conjugating synthetic fragments of the capsular polysaccharide of Haemophilus influenzae type b, poly-3-beta-D-ribose-(1,1)-D-ribitol-5-phosphate (sPRP) to linear peptides is described. The procedure consists of (i) reacting the amino group of amino-heptyl sPRP with m-maleimidobenzoyl-N-hydroxysuccinimide (MBS) in phosphate buffer, pH 7.5; (ii) selectively coupling the MBS-modified sPRP to the sulfhydryl group of the cysteine residue of peptides containing functional T-helper cell epitope(s). The glycopeptide conjugates were purified by gel filtration chromatography, biochemically characterized, and elicited protective level of anti-PRP antibody responses in rabbits.