Projects per year
Abstract
The 6-deoxy sugar L-rhamnose (L-Rha) is found widely in plant and microbial polysaccharides and natural products. The importance of this and related compounds in host–pathogen interactions often means that L-Rha plays an essential role in many organisms. L-Rha is most commonly biosynthesized as the activated sugar-nucleotide uridine 5’-diphospho-β-L-rhamnose (UDP-β-L-Rha) or thymidine 5’-diphospho-β-L-rhamnose (TDP-β-L-Rha). Enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of these sugar nucleotides have been studied in some detail in bacteria and plants, but the activated form of L-Rha and the corresponding biosynthetic enzymes have yet to be explored in algae. Here, using sugar-nucleotide profiling in two representative algae, Euglena gracilis and the toxin-producing microalga Prymnesium parvum, we show that levels of UDP- and TDP-activated L-Rha differ significantly between these two algal species. Using bioinformatics and biochemical methods, we identified and characterized a fusion of the RmlC and RmlD proteins, two bacteria-like enzymes involved in TDP-β-L-Rha biosynthesis, from P. parvum. Using this new sequence and also others, we explored L-Rha biosynthesis among algae, finding that although most algae contain sequences orthologous to plant-like L-Rha biosynthesis machineries, instances of the RmlC–RmlD fusion protein identified here exist across the Haptophyta and Gymnodiniaceae families of microalgae. On the basis of these findings, we propose potential routes for the evolution of nucleoside diphosphate β-L-Rha (NDP-β-L-Rha) pathways among algae.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 9172-9185 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Journal of Biological Chemistry |
Volume | 294 |
Issue number | 23 |
Early online date | 22 Apr 2019 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 7 Jun 2019 |
Keywords
- algae
- Prymnesium parvum
- rhamnose
- sugar nucleotides
- carbohydrate biosynthesis
- bioinformatics
- carbohydrate processing
- enzyme, glycobiology
- pathway evolution
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Molecular Biology
- Biochemistry
- Cell Biology
Fingerprint
Dive into the research topics of 'Discovery of an RmlC/D fusion protein in the microalga Prymnesium parvum and its implications for NDP-β-L-rhamnose biosynthesis in microalgae'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Projects
- 1 Finished
-
Functional and Structural Studies of the Streptococcal Virulence Factor Group A Carbohydrate Biosynthesis Pathway (Sir Henry Dale Fellowship)
Dorfmueller, H. (Investigator)
1/04/16 → 30/06/22
Project: Research