Functional and Structural Characterization of the UDP-Glucose Dehydrogenase Involved in Capsular Polysaccharide Biosynthesis from Campylobacter jejuni

Biochemistry ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander S. Riegert ◽  
Frank M. Raushel
2021 ◽  
Vol 35 (S1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Focco Akker ◽  
Vijay Kumar ◽  
Snigdha Mathure ◽  
Mijoon Lee ◽  
Jacob Boorman ◽  
...  

2003 ◽  
Vol 374 (3) ◽  
pp. 767-772 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabet ROMAN ◽  
Ian ROBERTS ◽  
Kerstin LIDHOLT ◽  
Marion KUSCHE-GULLBERG

The Escherichia coli K5 capsular polysaccharide (glycosaminoglycan) chains are composed of the repeated disaccharide structure: -GlcAβ1,4-GlcNAcα1,4-(where GlcA is glucuronic acid and GlcNAc is N-acetyl-d-glucosamine). The GlcA, present in most glycosaminoglycans, is donated from UDP-GlcA, which, in turn, is generated from UDP-glucose by the enzyme UDP-glucose dehydrogenase (UDPGDH). The formation of UDP-GlcA is critical for the biosynthesis of glycosaminoglycans. To investigate the role of UDPGDH in glycosaminoglycan biosynthesis, we used K5 polysaccharide biosynthesis as a model. E. coli was transformed with the complete gene cluster for K5 polysaccharide production. Additional transformation with an extra copy of UDPGDH resulted in an approx. 15-fold increase in the in vitro UDPGDH enzyme activity compared with the strain lacking extra UDPGDH. UDP-GlcA levels were increased 3-fold in overexpressing strains. However, metabolic labelling with [14C]glucose showed, unexpectedly, that overexpression of UDPGDH lead to decreased formation of K5 polysaccharide. No significant difference in the K5 polysaccharide chain length was observed between control and overexpressing strains, indicating that the decrease in K5-polysaccharide production most probably was due to synthesis of fewer chains. Our results suggest that K5-polysaccharide biosynthesis is strictly regulated such that increasing the amount of available UDP-GlcA results in diminished K5-polysaccharide production.


2005 ◽  
Vol 389 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nehmé SAKSOUK ◽  
Ludovic PELOSI ◽  
Pierre COLIN-MOREL ◽  
Manel BOUMEDIENNE ◽  
Patricia L. ABDIAN ◽  
...  

CPS (capsular polysaccharide) is a major virulence factor in Streptococcus pneumoniae. Biosynthesis of CPS RU (repeat unit) proceeds by sequential transfer of sugar residues from the appropriate sugar donor to an activated lipid carrier by committed GTs (glycosyltransferases). While the nucleotide sequence of many cps loci is already known, the real substrate specificity of the hypothetical GTs, as well as the sequence of sugar addition is unclear. In the present paper, we report the biochemical characterization of one α-galactosyltransferase, WciS (Cap8H), a member of GT family 4. This enzyme is implicated in the tetrasaccharide RU biosynthetic pathway of Strep. pneumoniae CPS 8 ([→4)-α-D-Glcp-(1→4)-α-D-Galp-(1→4)-β-D-GlcAp-(1→4)-β-D-Glcp-(1→]n). Expression of WciS–His6 in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) strains or BL21 (DE3)/ΔgalU strain resulted in synthesis of a 39 kDa membrane-associated protein identified by N-terminal sequencing and recognized by anti-His6-tag antibody. This protein was capable of adding a galactose residue cellobiuronic acid [β-D-GlcAp-(1→4)-D-Glcp]-pyrophosphate-polyprenol from UDP-Gal. The newly added galactose residue is removed by α-galactosidase, indicating that WciS is a retaining GT. Our results suggest that WciS catalyses the addition of the third sugar residue of the CPS 8 RU. The recombinant WciS–His6 was solubilized and purified as a soluble multimer, opening the way for structural studies.


2006 ◽  
Vol 281 (39) ◽  
pp. 28981-28992 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antoine J.-L. Le Quéré ◽  
William J. Deakin ◽  
Christel Schmeisser ◽  
Russell W. Carlson ◽  
Wolfgang R. Streit ◽  
...  

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