Pathways

The colonic acid building blocks biosynthesis starts with a Beta-D-Glucose undergoing a transport reaction mediated by a glucose PTS permease. The permease phosphorylates the Beta-D-Glucose, producing a Beta-D-Glucose 6-phosphate. This compound can either change to an Alpha-D-Glucose 6-phosphate spontaneously or into a fructose 6-phosphate through a glucose-6-phosphate isomerase. The latter compound can also be present in E.coli through the interaction of D-fructose and a mannose PTS permease which phosphorylate the D-fructose. Fructose 6-phosphate interacts in a reversible reaction with mannose-6-phosphate isomerase in order to produce a Alpha-D-mannose 6-phosphate. This compound can also be present in E.coli through the interaction of Alpha-D-mannose and a mannose PTS permease which phosphorylates the alpha-D-mannose. Alpha-D-mannose 6-phosphate interacts in a reversible reaction with a phosphomannomutase to produce a alpha-D-mannose 1-phosphate. This compound in turn with a hydrogen ion and gtp undergoes a reaction with a mannose-1-phosphate guanylyltransferase, releasing a pyrophosphate and producing a guanosine diphosphate mannose. Guanosine diphosphate mannose interacts with gdp-mannose 4,6-dehydratase releasing a water, and gdp-4-dehydro-6-deoxy-D-mannose. This compound in turn with hydrogen ion and NADPH interact with GDP-L-fucose synthase releasing NADP and producing a GDP-L-fucose. The Alpha-D-Glucose 6-phosphate interacts in a reversible reaction with phosphoglucomutase-1 to produce a alpha-D-glucose 1-phosphate. This in turn with UTP and hydrogen ion interact with UTP--glucose-1-phosphate uridyleltransferase releasing a pyrophosphate and UDP-glucose. UDP-glucose can either interact with galactose-1-phosphate uridylyltransferase to produce a UDP-galactose or in turn with NAD and water interact with UDP-glucose 6-dehydrogenase releasing a NADH and a hydrogen ion and producing a UDP-glucuronate. GDP-L-fucose, UDP-glucose, UDP-galactose and UDP-glucuronate are sugars that need to be activated in the form of nucleotide sugar prior to their assembly into colanic acid, also known as M antigen. Colanic acid is an extracellular polysaccharide which has been linked to a cluster of 19 genes(wca).