BIOSYNTHESIS OF CELL WALL POLYSACCHARIDES

BIOSYNTHESIS OF CELL WALL POLYSACCHARIDES

• Microorganisms synthesize Sugars and Polysaccharides.
• The carbon atoms required to synthesize Glucose are derived from the intermediates produced during processes such as Glycolysis and the Krebs cycle and from lipids or amino acids.
• After synthesizing Glucose, bacteria may assemble it into more complex polysaccharides, such as Glycogen.
• For bacteria to build Glucose into glycogen, glucose units must be Phosphorylated and linked.  The product of Glucose phosphorylation is Glucose-6-phosphate. 
• In order for bacteria to synthesize Glycogen, a molecule of ATP is added to Glucose 6-phosphate to form Adenosine diphosphoglucose (ADPG). Once ADPG is synthesized, it is linked with similar units to form Glycogen (Polysaccharide).
• Using a nucleotide called Uridine triphosphate (UTP) as a source of energy and Glucose-6-phosphate, animals synthesize glycogen from Uridine diphosphoglucose (UDPG).
• A compound related to UDPG, called UDP-N-acetylglucosamine (UDPNAc) is a key starting material in the biosynthesis of Peptidoglycan, the substance that forms bacterial cell walls. The UDPNAc is formed from Fructose 6-phosphate, and the reaction also uses UTP.

Biosynthesis of Cell wall polysaccharides