The group B streptococcal sialic acid O-acetyltransferase is encoded by neuD, a conserved component of bacterial sialic acid biosynthetic gene clusters.

Abstract excerpt

Nearly two dozen microbial pathogens have surface polysaccharides or lipo-oligosaccharides that contain sialic acid (Sia), and several Sia-dependent virulence mechanisms are known to enhance bacterial survival or result in host tissue injury. Some pathogens are also known to O-acetylate their Sias, although the role of this modification in pathogenesis remains unclear. We report that neuD, a gene located within...

Topics

• Acetyltransferases
• Alleles
• Amino Acid Sequence
• Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
• Computational Biology
• DNA
• Escherichia coli
• Escherichia coli Proteins
• Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial
• Genetic Complementation Test
• Models, Chemical
• Models, Molecular