Glycobiology Advance Access originally published online on April 20, 2005
Glycobiology 2005 15(9):29R-42R; doi:10.1093/glycob/cwi065
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© Published by Oxford University Press 2005.
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Modeling bacterial UDP-HexNAc: polyprenol-P HexNAc-1-P transferases
2 USDA-ARS-NCAUR, Bioproducts and Biocatalysis Research Unit, 1815 North University Street, Peoria, IL 61604; and 3 Plant Polymer Research Unit, 1815 North University Street, Peoria, IL 61604
1 To whom correspondence should be addressed; e-mail: pricen{at}ncaur.usda.gov
Received on March 4, 2005; accepted on April 15, 2005
Protein N-glycosylation in eukaryotes and peptidoglycan biosynthesis in bacteria are both initiated by the transfer of a D-N-acetylhexosamine 1-phosphate to a membrane-bound polyprenol phosphate. These reactions are catalyzed by a family of transmembrane proteins known as the UDP-D-N-acetylhexosamine: polyprenol phosphate D-N-acetylhexosamine 1-phosphate transferases. The sole eukaryotic member of this family, the D-N-acetylglucosamine 1-phosphate transferase (GPT), is specific for UDP-GlcNAc as the donor substrate and uses dolichol phosphate as the membrane-bound acceptor. The bacterial translocases, MraY, WecA, and WbpL, utilize undecaprenol phosphate as the acceptor substrate, but differ in their specificity for the UDP-sugar donor substrate. The structural basis of this sugar nucleotide specificity is uncertain. However, potential carbohydrate recognition (CR) domains have been identified within the C-terminal cytoplasmic loops of MraY, WecA, and WbpL that are highly conserved in family members with the same UDP-N-acetylhexosamine specificity. This review focuses on the catalytic mechanism and substrate specificity of these bacterial UDP-D-N-acetylhexosamine: polyprenol phosphate D-N-acetylhexosamine 1-P transferases and may provide insights for the development of selective inhibitors of cell wall biosynthesis.
Key words: MraY / tunicamycin / undecaprenol / WecA / WbpL
Mention of trade names or commercial products in this article is solely for the purpose of providing specific information and does not imply recommendation or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
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