Enzymes of UDP-GlcNAc biosynthesis in yeast.
D-Glucosamine is an important building block of major structural components of the fungal cell wall, namely chitin, chitosan and mannoproteins. Other amino sugars, such as D-mannosamine and D-galactosamine, relatively abundant in higher eukaryotes, rarely occur in fungal cells and are actually absent from yeast and yeast-like fungi. The glucosamine-containing sugar nucleotide UDP-GlcNAc is synthesized in yeast cells in a four-step cytoplasmic pathway. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the present knowledge on the enzymes catalysing the particular steps of the pathway in Candida albicans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, with a special emphasis put on mechanisms of the catalysed reactions, regulation of activity and perspectives for exploitation of enzymes participating in UDP-GlcNAc biosynthesis as potential targets for antifungal chemotherapy.
Milewski
Sławomir
S
Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biochemistry, Gdańsk University of Technology, Gdańsk, Poland. milewski@chem.pg.gda.pl
Gabriel
Iwona
I
Olchowy
Jarosław
J
D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D051081:Glucosamine 6-Phosphate N-Acetyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism; D005945:Glutamine-Fructose-6-Phosphate Transaminase (Isomerizing) / Q000378:metabolism; D008958:Models, Molecular; D006005:Phosphorylases / Q000378:metabolism; D017875:Phosphotransferases (Phosphomutases) / Q000378:metabolism; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D014537:Uridine Diphosphate N-Acetylglucosamine / Q000096:biosynthesis*
D000935:Antifungal Agents; D014537:Uridine Diphosphate N-Acetylglucosamine; D051081:Glucosamine 6-Phosphate N-Acetyltransferase; D006005:Phosphorylases; D005945:Glutamine-Fructose-6-Phosphate Transaminase (Isomerizing); D017875:Phosphotransferases (Phosphomutases); C018718:phosphoacetylglucosamine mutase