Characterizing non-hydrolyzing Neisseria meningitidis serogroup A UDP-N-acetylglucosamine (UDP-GlcNAc) 2-epimerase using UDP-N-acetylmannosamine (UDP-ManNAc) and derivatives.

ABSTRACT: Neisseria meningitidis serogroup A non-hydrolyzing uridine 5'-diphosphate-N-acetylglucosamine (UDP-GlcNAc) 2-epimerase (NmSacA) catalyzes the interconversion between UDP-GlcNAc and uridine 5'-diphosphate-N-acetylmannosamine (UDP-ManNAc). It is a key enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of the capsular polysaccharide [-6ManNAc?1-phosphate-]n of N.?meningitidis serogroup A, one of the six serogroups (A, B, C, W-135, X, and Y) that account for most cases of N.?meningitidis-caused bacterial septicemia and meningitis. N.?meningitidis serogroup A is responsible for large epidemics in the developing world, especially in Africa. Here we report that UDP-ManNAc could be used as a substrate for C-terminal His6-tagged recombinant NmSacA (NmSacA-His6) in the absence of UDP-GlcNAc. NmSacA-His6 was activated by UDP-GlcNAc and inhibited by 2-acetamidoglucal and UDP. Substrate specificity study showed that NmSacA-His6 could tolerate several chemoenzymatically synthesized UDP-ManNAc derivatives as substrates although its activity was much lower than non-modified UDP-ManNAc. Homology modeling and molecular docking revealed likely structural determinants of NmSacA substrate specificity. This is the first detailed study of N.?meningitidis serogroup A UDP-GlcNAc 2-epimerase.

SUBMITTER: Zhang L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4698195 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature