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KpsC and KpsS are retaining 3-deoxy- d - manno -oct-2-ulosonic acid (Kdo) transferases involved in synthesis of bacterial capsules

2013; National Academy of Sciences; Volume: 110; Issue: 51 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1073/pnas.1312637110

1091-6490

Lisa M. Willis, Chris Whitfield,

Glycosylation and Glycoproteins Research

Significance Capsules are bacterial surface structures used by many Gram-negative pathogens to evade the host immune system. They are comprised of long carbohydrate chains, called capsular polysaccharides (CPSs), which possess a lipid at one end. The lipid is connected to the CPS through an unusual linker consisting of five to nine residues of an acidic sugar 3-deoxy- d - manno -oct-2-ulosonic acid (Kdo). This study identifies two conserved proteins from CPS assembly systems, KpsC and KpsS, as the enzymes that synthesize the Kdo linker on the terminal lipid. Synthesis of this terminal glycolipid was reconstituted in vitro using purified enzymes and a synthetic lipid acceptor. The data support a unique model for CPS biosynthesis and identify these enzymes as unique targets for antibacterial therapies.