Publication details
Structures and mechanisms of glycosyltransferases
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2006 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Glycobiology |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Web | Database of three-dimensional structures of glycosyltransferases |
| Field | Biochemistry |
| Keywords | glycosyltransferases; mechanism of reaction; structural characteristics; on-line database |
| Description | Glycosyltransferases catalyze the transfer of a sugar moiety from an activated donor sugar onto saccharide and non-saccharide acceptors. A sequence-based classification spreads glycosyltransferases in a large number of families thus reflecting the variety of molecules that can be used as acceptors. In contrast, this enzyme family is characterized by a more conserved 3D architecture. Until recently, only two different folds (GT-A and GT-B) have been identified for solved crystal structures. The recent report of a structure for a bacterial sialyltransferase allows the defination of a new fold family. Progress in the elucidation of the structures and mechanisms of glycosyltransferases are discussed in this review. To accomodate the growing number of crystal structures, the 3D-glycosyltransferase database has been created to gather structural information concerning this class of enzymes. |
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