IndraLab

"Loci VC1758 to VC1809 ( nan-nag gene cluster) present in the VPI-2 was identified to be involved in the transport and catabolism of sialic acid (Almagro-Moreno and Boyd, xref )."

"In the case of prokaryotes, these sialic acids are decorated as the outermost moiety of the lipooligosaccharide/lipopolysaccharide (LOS/LPS) on their cell membranes. xref − xref Pathogenic bacteria such as Haemophilus influenzae ( Hi ) , Pasteurella multocida ( Pm ) , Vibrio cholerae ( Vc ), and Fusobacterium nucleatum ( Fn ) that reside in the host mucous-rich environments of the gut and respiratory tract scavenge sialic acids from the host and transport them into bacteria using the TRAP transport system. xref , xref Post scavenging sialic acids from the host, these bacteria incorporate a part of the scavenged sialic acid as the outermost sugar on their LOS/LPS to evade the host immune system; this phenomenon is known as “molecular mimicry”. xref − xref Furthermore, these bacteria use sialic acids as a carbon and nitrogen source by converting them into fructose 6-phosphate using the enzymes of the nan-nag gene cluster (NanA, NanK, NanE, NagA, and NagB) ( xref ."

"We found that this GI of ~64 kb is inserted in the tRNA- ser gene and located next to a nan-nag region involved in the sialic acid catabolism ( xref ), which is also harboured by the VPI-II [ xref ]."