Tuberculosis is the leading infectious cause of mortality worldwide. The global epidemic, caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, has prompted renewed interest in the development of novel vaccines for disease prevention and control. The cell envelope of M. tuberculosis is decorated with an assortment of glycan structures, including glycolipids, that are involved in disease pathogenesis. Phenolic glycolipids and the structurally related para-hydroxybenzoic acid derivatives display potent immunomodulatory activities and have particular relevance for both understanding the interaction of the bacterium with the host immune system and also in the design of new vaccine and therapeutic candidates. Interest in glycobiology has grown exponentially over the past decade, with advancements paving the way for effective carbohydrate based vaccines. This review highlights recent advances in our understanding of phenolic glycans, including their biosynthesis and role as virulence factors in M. tuberculosis. Recent chemical synthesis approaches and biochemical analysis of synthetic glycans and their conjugates have led to fundamental insights into their roles in host–pathogen interactions. The applications of these synthetic glycans as potential vaccine candidates are discussed.

中文翻译：

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结核分枝杆菌中作为毒性因子的酚类聚糖的出现

结核病是世界范围内导致死亡的主要传染原因。由结核分枝杆菌引起的全球流行病引起了人们对开发用于疾病预防和控制的新型疫苗的新兴趣。结核分枝杆菌的细胞膜用多种糖结构（包括糖脂）修饰，这些糖结构与疾病的发病机理有关。酚类糖脂和与结构相关的对羟基苯甲酸衍生物显示出强大的免疫调节活性，对于理解细菌与宿主免疫系统的相互作用以及在设计新疫苗和治疗候选药物方面都具有特殊的意义。在过去的十年中，对糖生物学的兴趣呈指数增长，其进展为有效的基于碳水化合物的疫苗铺平了道路。这篇综述突出了我们对酚聚糖的了解的最新进展，包括它们的生物合成和在结核分枝杆菌中作为毒力因子的作用。。最近的化学合成方法和合成聚糖及其结合物的生化分析已导致对它们在宿主-病原体相互作用中的作用的基本认识。讨论了这些合成聚糖作为潜在的候选疫苗的应用。