Orf2 was proposed to be formyltransferase for synthesis of dTDP-d-Qui3NFo from dTDP-d-Qui3N. Therefore, we suggested that orf3, orf4, orf5, and orf2 are involved in the synthesis of dTDP-d-Qui3NFo and named them rmlA, qdtA, qdtB, and qdtF, respectively. Orf11 shares 76% Selleckchem CHIR99021 identity or 89% similarity to UDP-glucose 6-dehydrogenase (Ugd) of Edwardsiella ictaluri, which is responsible for the synthesis of UDP-d-GlcA from UDP-d-Glc (Stevenson et al., 1996). Therefore, orf11 was proposed to be responsible for the synthesis of UDP-d-GlcA and named ugd. Both Orf13 and Orf14 belong to the NAD-dependent epimerase/dehydratase family (Pfam01370, E value = 3× e−23

and 3 × e−45, respectively). Orf13 shares 78% identity to UDP-N-acetylglucosamine 4-epimerase (Gne) of P. mirabilis. In Providencia (Ovchinnikova et al., 2012), as in most other Enterobacteriaceae members studied (Valvano, 2011), the O-unit synthesis is likely initiated LY294002 nmr by transfer of GlcNAc-1-phosphate or GalNAc-1-phosphate to the undecaprenol phosphate (UndP) lipid acceptor. Recent

biochemical studies showed that Gne from E. coli O157 is capable of interconverting GlcNAc-P-P-Und and GalNAc-P-P-Und rather than functions as a UDP-GlcNAc/UDP-GalNAc epimerase (Rush et al., 2010). As GalNAc is evidently the first monosaccharide of the P. alcalifaciens O40 O-unit (Ovchinnikova et al., 2012), it is not excluded that Orf13 is responsible for the synthesis of GalNAc-P-P-Und from GlcNAc-P-P-Und too. The fourth sugar component ID-8 of the O-unit is d-galactose. Seventy-four percent identity was observed for Orf14 compared to UDP-galactose 4-epimerase (GalE)

of P. mirabilis. Therefore, orf14 was named galE. However, it should be noted that in most other Providencia strains studied, galE is located at the 3′ end of O-antigen gene clusters between cpxA and yibK independently of the presence of galactose in the O-unit (Ovchinnikova et al., 2012). Orf10 shares 28% identity or 48% similarity to a putative galactoside acetyltransferase of Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, and the corresponding gene was named wpaC. The presence of this gene is consistent with partial O-acetylation of the O-unit; however, the position of O-acetyl group on the Gal residue was not confirmed chemically. The transfer of a 2-acetamido sugar 1-phosphate to UndP is mediated by WecA, which also takes part in the enterobacterial common antigen (ECA) synthetic pathway. The wecA gene encoding this enzyme is located in the ECA biosynthesis gene cluster (Alexander & Valvano, 1994). Therefore, three individual glycosyltransferases were expected to assemble the UndPP-linked tetrasaccharide O-unit of P. alcalifaciens O40. Both Orf7 and Orf12 belong to the glycosyltranferase group 2 family (Pfam00535, E value = 2 × e−16 and 9 × e−33, respectively).