Synthesis of N-Acetyl-ᴅ-quinovosamine in Rhizobium etli CE3 is Completed After Its 4-keto-precursor is Linked to a Carrier Lipid

Authors

Tiezheng Li, Marquette University
K. Dale Noel, Marquette UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Language

Eng

Publication Date

2017

Publisher

Microbiology Society

Source Publication

Microbiology

Source ISSN

1350-0872

Abstract

Bacterial O-antigens are synthesized on lipid carriers before being transferred to lipopolysaccharide core structures. Rhizobium etli CE3 lipopolysaccharide is a model for understanding O-antigen biological function. CE3 O-antigen structure and genetics are known. However, proposed enzymology for CE3 O-antigen synthesis has been examined very little in vitro, and even the sugar added to begin the synthesis is uncertain. A model based on mutagenesis studies predicts that 2-acetamido-2,6-dideoxy-d-glucose (QuiNAc) is the first O-antigen sugar and that genes wreV, wreQ and wreU direct QuiNAc synthesis and O-antigen initiation. Previously, synthesis of UDP-QuiNAc was shown to occur in vitro with a WreV orthologue (4,6-hexose dehydratase) and WreQ (4-reductase), but the WreQ catalysis in this conventional deoxyhexose-synthesis pathway was very slow. This seeming deficiency was explained in the present study after WreU transferase activity was examined in vitro. Results fit the prediction that WreU transfers sugar-1-phosphate to bactoprenyl phosphate (BpP) to initiate O-antigen synthesis. Interestingly, WreU demonstrated much higher activity using the product of the WreV catalysis [UDP-4-keto-6-deoxy-GlcNAc (UDP-KdgNAc)] as the sugar-phosphate donor than using UDP-QuiNAc. Furthermore, the WreQ catalysis with WreU-generated BpPP-KdgNAc as the substrate was orders of magnitude faster than with UDP-KdgNAc. The inferred product BpPP-QuiNAc reacted as an acceptor substrate in an in vitro assay for addition of the second O-antigen sugar, mannose. These results imply a novel pathway for 6-deoxyhexose synthesis that may be commonly utilized by bacteria when QuiNAc is the first sugar of a polysaccharide or oligosaccharide repeat unit: UDP-GlcNAc → UDP-KdgNAc → BpPP-KdgNAc → BpPP-QuiNAc.

Comments

Accepted version. Microbiology, Vol. 163, No. 12 (2017). DOI. © 2019 Microbiology Society. Used with permission.

Recommended Citation

Li, Tiezheng and Noel, K. Dale, "Synthesis of N-Acetyl-ᴅ-quinovosamine in Rhizobium etli CE3 is Completed After Its 4-keto-precursor is Linked to a Carrier Lipid" (2017). Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications. 609.
https://epublications.marquette.edu/bio_fac/609