Many bacterial flagella are specifically O-glycosylated with nonulosonic acids, including the sialic acid derivatives, pseudaminic acid or legionaminic acid. Unlike protein glycosyltransferases that are extra-cytoplasmic, flagellin glycosyltransferases (fGTs) act cytoplasmically with unknown donor or acceptor specificities. The recent reconstitution of fGT-based glycosylation in heterologous hosts enables analyses underpinning such specificity.
展开▼
