Structure-function studies of the C3/C5 epimerases and C4 reductases of the Campylobacter jejuni capsular heptose modification pathways.

Many bacteria produce polysaccharide-based capsules that protect them from environmental insults and play a role in virulence, host invasion, and other functions. Understanding how the polysaccharide components are synthesized could provide new means to combat bacterial infections. We have previously characterized two pairs of homologous enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of capsular sugar precursors GDP-6-deoxy-D-altro-heptose and GDP-6-OMe-L-gluco-heptose in Campylobacter jejuni.