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Publication Abstract from PubMed

More than 33,000 glycosyltransferases have been identified. Structural studies, however, have only revealed two distinct glycosyltransferase (GT) folds, GT-A and GT-B. Here we report a 1.34-A resolution X-ray crystallographic structure of a previously uncharacterized 'domain of unknown function' 1792 (DUF1792) and show that the domain adopts a new fold and is required for glycosylation of a family of serine-rich repeat streptococcal adhesins. Biochemical studies reveal that the domain is a glucosyltransferase, and it catalyses the transfer of glucose to the branch point of the hexasaccharide O-linked to the serine-rich repeat of the bacterial adhesin, Fap1 of Streptococcus parasanguinis. DUF1792 homologues from both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria also exhibit the activity. Thus, DUF1792 represents a new family of glycosyltransferases; therefore, we designate it as a GT-D glycosyltransferase fold. As the domain is highly conserved in bacteria and not found in eukaryotes, it can be explored as a new antibacterial target.

The highly conserved domain of unknown function 1792 has a distinct glycosyltransferase fold.,Zhang H, Zhu F, Yang T, Ding L, Zhou M, Li J, Haslam SM, Dell A, Erlandsen H, Wu H Nat Commun. 2014 Jul 15;5:4339. doi: 10.1038/ncomms5339. PMID:25023666^[1]

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.