PGT enzymes catalyze the pathway that builds the sugar-rich protective coating on many cells. In a @PPPublishing review, Barbara Imperiali, @allenlab, and @Otoole4K discuss insights into two unique PGT superfamilies: https://t.co/uJzxRNVsy8
Surprisingly, nature has evolved two superfamilies with distinct protein scaffolds to enact the same fundamental reaction through two different chemical mechanisms.
PGTs promote the first membrane-committed step in complex glycoconjugate biosynthesis pathways by catalyzing the transfer of a phospho-sugar from a nucleoside diphospho-sugar to a membrane-resident polyprenol phosphate.
.@kna6662 is a founding member of our Women in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Committee.
https://t.co/qUfJ7LAuE3
Her lab uses structural biology techniques to study enzyme evolution and substrate specificity, w/a longstanding focus on the haloalkanoate dehalogenase superfamily.