title: Structure and function of vertebrate CMP-sialic acid synthetases.
abstract: Activation of sugars into nucleotide sugars is critical for their entry into biosynthetic pathways. In eukaryotic cells, the activation of the acidic nine-carbon sugar sialic acid to CMP-sialic acid takes place in the cell nucleus, whereas all other nucleotide sugars are made in the cytoplasm. Molecular cloning of vertebrate CMP-sialic acid synthetases confirmed the nuclear localization and introduced new molecular tools for directly exploring the functional mechanisms of the enzymes, as well as the physiological relevance of their nuclear transport. Although major advances have been made in understanding structure-function relationships and defining elements involved in the nuclear transport, the riddle surrounding the physiological relevance of nuclear localization awaits resolution.
authors.affiliation: Zentrum Biochemie, Abteilung Zelluläre Chemie, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, D-30625 Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Anja K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Münster-Kühnel
authors.forename: Joe
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tiralongo
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Krapp
authors.forename: Birgit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Weinhold
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ritz-Sedlacek
authors.forename: Uwe
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Jacob
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gerardy-Schahn
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D000216:N-Acylneuraminate Cytidylyltransferase / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D010802:Phylogeny; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
chemical_list: D000216:N-Acylneuraminate Cytidylyltransferase