| Abstract | The sialic acid-like sugar 5,7-diacetamido-3,5,7,9- tetradeoxy-D-glycero-D-galacto-nonulosonic acid, or legionaminic acid, is found as a virulence-associated cell-surface glycoconjugate in the Gram-negative bacteria Legionella pneumophila and Campylobacter coli. L. pneumophila serogroup 1 strains, causative agents of Legionnaire’s disease, contain an α2,4-linked homopolymer of legionaminic acid within their lipopolysaccharide O-chains, whereas the gastrointestinal pathogen C. coli modifies its flagellin with this monosaccharide via O-linkage. In this work, we have purified and biochemically characterized 11 candidate biosynthetic enzymes from Campylobacter jejuni, thereby fully reconstituting the biosynthesis of legionaminic acid and its CMP-activated form, starting from fructose-6-P. This pathway involves unique GDP-linked intermediates, likely providing a cellular mechanism for differentiating between this and similar UDP-linked pathways, such as UDP-2,4-diacetamido-bacillosamine biosynthesis involved in N-linked protein glycosylation. Importantly, these findings provide a facile method for efficient large-scale synthesis of legionaminic acid, and since legionaminic acid and sialic acid share the same D-glycero-D-galacto absolute configuration, this sugar may now be evaluated for its potential as a sialic acid mimic. |
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