Synthesis of analogues of (E)-1-hydroxy-2-methylbut-2-enyl 4-diphosphate, an isoprenoid precursor and human gamma delta T cell activator

(E)-1-Hydroxy-2-methyl-but-2-enyl 4-diphosphate (HMBPP) is an intermediate in the non-mevalonate pathway for the biosynthesis of isoprenoids and also serves as a very strong activator of human gamma delta T cells expressing Vgamma9Vdelta2 receptors. This paper describes the synthesis of analogues of HMBPP, in which the diphosphate group is replaced by potential isosteric moieties, i.e., carbamate, N-acyl-N'-oxy sulfamate, or aminosulfonyl carbamate functionalities. The potential of the synthesized analogues to stimulate Vgamma9/Vdelta2 T cell response or to inhibit GcpE and LytB, the last enzymes in the non-mevalonate pathway, was assessed.