Biosynthesis of UDP-4-keto-6-deoxyglucose and UDP-rhamnose in pathogenic fungi Magnaporthe grisea and Botryotinia fuckeliana.

ABSTRACT: There is increasing evidence that in several fungi, rhamnose-containing glycans are involved in processes that affect host-pathogen interactions, including adhesion, recognition, virulence, and biofilm formation. Nevertheless, little is known about the pathways for the synthesis of these glycans. We show that rhamnose is present in glycans isolated from the rice pathogen Magnaporthe grisea and from the plant pathogen Botryotinia fuckeliana. We also provide evidence that these fungi produce UDP-rhamnose. This is in contrast to bacteria where dTDP-rhamnose is the activated form of this sugar. In bacteria, formation of dTDP-rhamnose requires three enzymes. Here, we demonstrate that in fungi only two genes are required for UDP-Rha synthesis. The first gene encodes a UDP-glucose-4,6-dehydratase

SUBMITTER: Martinez V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3256918 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature