The Biosynthesis of UDP-D-QuiNAc in Bacillus cereus ATCC 14579.

ABSTRACT: N-acetylquinovosamine (2-acetamido-2,6-di-deoxy-D-glucose, QuiNAc) is a relatively rare amino sugar residue found in glycans of few pathogenic gram-negative bacteria where it can play a role in infection. However, little is known about QuiNAc-related polysaccharides in gram-positive bacteria. In a routine screen for bacillus glycan grown at defined medium, it was surprising to identify a QuiNAc residue in polysaccharides isolated from this gram-positive bacterium. To gain insight into the biosynthesis of these glycans, we report the identification of an operon in Bacillus cereus ATCC 14579 that contains two genes encoding activities not previously described in gram-positive bacteria. One gene encodes a UDP-N-acetylglucosamine C4,6-dehydratase, (abbreviated Pdeg) that converts UDP-GlcNAc to

SUBMITTER: Hwang S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4514872 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature