Synthesis of N-modified sTn analogs and evaluation of their immunogenicities by microarray-based immunoassay

A series of sTn derivative-keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) conjugates were synthesized, and their immunogenicities were evaluated by corresponding IgG production. To achieve a high-throughput screening immunoassay, a glycan microarray with sTn and its analogs was used to detect the production of corresponding antibodies in mouse sera. The immunoassay results revealed that the derived sTn antigens are generally more immunogenic than the parent sTn antigen. The N-propionyl sTn antigen was the most immunogenic among the sTn derivatives investigated, and its antiserum was cross-reactive with natural sTn. These results indicate that N-propionyl sTn may serve as a viable vaccine candidate to produce antibody for detection of sTn antigen.