Trehalose is a nonreducing disaccharide that plays a major role in many organisms, most notably in survival and stress responses. In Mycobacterium tuberculosis, it plays a central role as the carbohydrate core of numerous immunogenic glycolipids including "cord factor" (trehalose 6,6'-dimycolate) ...
Trehalose is a nonreducing disaccharide that plays a major role in many organisms, most notably in survival and stress responses. In Mycobacterium tuberculosis, it plays a central role as the carbohydrate core of numerous immunogenic glycolipids including "cord factor" (trehalose 6,6'-dimycolate). The classical pathway for trehalose synthesis involves the condensation of UDP-glucose and glucose-6-phosphate to afford trehalose-6-phosphate, catalyzed by the retaining glycosyltransferase OtsA. The configurations of two anomeric positions are set simultaneously, resulting in the formation of a double glycoside. The three-dimensional structure of the Escherichia coli OtsA, in complex with both UDP and glucose-6-phosphate, reveals the active site at the interface of two beta/alpha/beta domains. The overall structure and the intimate details of the catalytic machinery reveal a striking similarity to glycogen phosphorylase, indicating a strong evolutionary link and suggesting a common catalytic mechanism.
Related Citations:
Characterization of Escherichia Coli Otsa, a Trehalose-6-Phosphate Synthase from Glycosyltransferase Family 20 Gibson, R.P., Lloyd, R.M., Charnock, S.J., Davies, G.J. (2002) Acta Crystallogr D Biol Crystallogr 58: 349
Organizational Affiliation:
Department of Chemistry, The University of York, York YO10 5YW, Heslington, United Kingdom.
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