E. coli lipid A is synthesized on the cytoplasmic surface of the inner membrane. Starting with either the fructose 6-phosphate produced by glycolysis and pyruvate dehydrogenase or obtained from the interaction with D-fructose interacting with a mannose PTS permease. Fructose 6-phosphate interacts with L-glutamine through a D-fructose-6-phosphate aminotransferase resulting into a L-glutamic acid and a glucosamine 6-phosphate. The latter compound is isomerized through a phosphoglucosamine mutase resulting a glucosamine 1-phosphate. This compound is acetylated, interacting with acetyl-CoA through a bifunctional protein glmU resulting in a Coenzyme A, hydrogen ion and N-acetyl-glucosamine 1-phosphate. The latter interacts with UTP and hydrogen ion through the bifunctional protein glmU resulting in a pyrophosphate and a UDP-N-acetylglucosamine. UDP-N-acetylglucosamine iinteracts with (3R)-3-hydroxymyristoyl-[acp] through an UDP-N-acetylglucosamine acyltransferase resulting in a holo-[acp] and a UDP-3-O[(3R)-3-hydroxymyristoyl]-N-acetyl-alpha-D-glucosamine. The latter continues and reacts with water through UDP-3-O-acyl-N-acetylglucosamine deacetylase resulting in an acetic acid and UDP-3-O-(3-hydroxymyristoyl)-α-D-glucosamine. The latter compound interacts with (3R)-3-hydroxymyristoyl-[acp] through UDP-3-O-(R-3-hydroxymyristoyl)-glucosamine N-acyltransferase releasing a hydrogen ion, a holo-acp and UDP-2-N,3-O-bis[(3R)-3-hydroxytetradecanoyl]-α-D-glucosamine. The latter compound is hydrolase by interacting with water and a UDP-2,3-diacylglucosamine hydrolase resulting in UMP, hydrogen ion and 2,3-bis[(3R)-3-hydroxymyristoyl]-α-D-glucosaminyl 1-phosphate. The latter interacts with a UDP-2-N,3-O-bis[(3R)-3-hydroxytetradecanoyl]-α-D-glucosamine through a lipid A disaccharide synthase resulting in a release of UDP, hydrogen ion and a lipid A disaccharide. The lipid A disaccharide is phosphorylated by an ATP mediated tetraacyldisaccharide 4'-kinase resulting in the release of hydrogen ion and lipid IVA. A D-ribulose 5-phosphate is isomerized with D-arabinose 5-phosphate isomerase 2 resulting in a D-arabinose 5-phosphate. D-arabinose 5-phosphate interacts with water and phosphoenolpyruvic acid through a 3-deoxy-D-manno-octulosonate 8-phosphate synthase resulting in the release of phosphate and 3-deoxy-D-manno-octulosonate 8-phosphate. This compound interacts with water through a 3-deoxy-D-manno-octulosonate 8-phosphate phosphatase thus releasing a phosphate and a 3-deoxy-D-manno-octulosonate. The latter compound interacts with CTP through a 3-deoxy-D-manno-octulosonate cytidylyltransferase resulting in a pyrophosphate and CMP-3-deoxy-α-D-manno-octulosonate. CMP-3-deoxy-α-D-manno-octulosonate and lipid IVA interact with each other through a KDO transferase resulting in CMP, hydrogen ion and alpha-Kdo-(2-->6)-lipid IVA. The latter compound reacts with CMP-3-deoxy-α-D-manno-octulosonate through a KDO transferase resulting in a CMP, hydrogen ion, and a a-Kdo-(2->4)-a-Kdo-(2->6)-lipid IVA. The latter compound can either react with a palmitoleoyl-acp through a palmitoleoyl acyltransferase resulting in the release of a holo-acyl carriere protein and a Kdo2-palmitoleoyl-lipid IVa which in turn reacts with a myristoyl-acp through a myristoyl-acp dependent acyltransferase resulting in a release of a holo-acp and a Kdo2-lipid A, cold adapted, or it can interact with a dodecanoyl-[acp] lauroyl acyltransferase resulting in a holo-[acp] and a (KDO)2-(lauroyl)-lipid IVA. The latter compound reacts with a myristoyl-[acp] through a myristoyl-acyl carrier protein (ACP)-dependent acyltransferase resulting in a holo-[acp], (KDO)2-lipid A. The latter compound reacts with ADP-L-glycero-beta-D-manno-heptose through ADP-heptose:LPS heptosyltransferase I resulting hydrogen ion, ADP, heptosyl-KDO2-lipid A. The latter compound interacts with ADP-L-glycero-beta-D-manno-heptose through ADP-heptose:LPS heptosyltransferase II resulting in ADP, hydrogen ion and (heptosyl)2-Kdo2-lipid A. The latter compound UDP-glucose interacts with (heptosyl)2-Kdo2-lipid A resulting in UDP, hydrogen ion and glucosyl-(heptosyl)2-Kdo2-lipid A. Glucosyl-(heptosyl)2-Kdo2-lipid A (Escherichia coli) is phosphorylated through an ATP-mediated lipopolysaccharide core heptose (I) kinase resulting in ADP, hydrogen ion and glucosyl-(heptosyl)2-Kdo2-lipid A-phosphate. The latter compound interacts with ADP-L-glycero-beta-D-manno-heptose through a lipopolysaccharide core heptosyl transferase III resulting in ADP, hydrogen ion, and glucosyl-(heptosyl)3-Kdo2-lipid A-phosphate. The latter compound is phosphorylated through an ATP-driven lipopolysaccharide core heptose (II) kinase resulting in ADP, hydrogen ion and glucosyl-(heptosyl)3-Kdo2-lipid A-bisphosphate. The latter compound interacts with UDP-alpha-D-galactose through a UDP-D-galactose:(glucosyl)lipopolysaccharide-1,6-D-galactosyltransferase resulting in a UDP, a hydrogen ion and a galactosyl-glucosyl-(heptosyl)3-Kdo2-lipid A-bisphosphate. The latter compound interacts with UDP-glucose through a (glucosyl)LPS α-1,3-glucosyltransferase resulting in a hydrogen ion, a UDP and galactosyl-(glucosyl)2-(heptosyl)3-Kdo2-lipid A-bisphosphate. This compound then interacts with UDP-glucose through a UDP-glucose:(glucosyl)LPS α-1,2-glucosyltransferase resulting in UDP, a hydrogen ion and galactosyl-(glucosyl)3-(heptosyl)3-Kdo2-lipid A-bisphosphate. This compound then interacts with ADP-L-glycero-beta-D-manno-heptose through a lipopolysaccharide core biosynthesis; heptosyl transferase IV; probably hexose transferase resulting in a Lipid A-core. A lipid A-core is then exported into the periplasmic space by a lipopolysaccharide ABC transporter. The lipid A-core is then flipped to the outer surface of the inner membrane by the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter, MsbA. An additional integral membrane protein, YhjD, has recently been implicated in LPS export across the IM. The smallest LPS derivative that supports viability in E. coli is lipid IVA. However, it requires mutations in either MsbA or YhjD, to suppress the normally lethal consequence of an incomplete lipid A . Recent studies with deletion mutants implicate the periplasmic protein LptA, the cytosolic protein LptB, and the IM proteins LptC, LptF, and LptG in the subsequent transport of nascent LPS to the outer membrane (OM), where the LptD/LptE complex flips LPS to the outer surface.

Lipopolysaccharide Biosynthesis References