Synthetic arabinofuranosyl oligosaccharides as Mycobacterial arabinosyltransferase substrates

A series of arabinofuranosyl oligosaccharides found as constituent parts of the polysaccharide portion of the cell wall of Mycobacterium tuberculosis have been chemically synthesized. Screening of these oligosaccharides as substrates for arabinosyltransferases present in mycobacterial membrane preparations suggests that modified oligosaccharide analogs as small as disaccharides may be inhibitors of glycan biosynthesis. Such inhibitors would be of potential utility as lead compounds in the identification of new drugs for the treatment of mycobacterial infections.