Glycosyltransferases are ubiquitous in nature. They catalyze a glycosidic bond formation between sugar donors and sugar or nonsugar acceptors to produce oligo/polysaccharides, glycoproteins, glycolipids, glycosylated natural products, and other sugar-containing entities. However, a trehalose 6-phosphate synthase-like protein has been found to catalyze an unprecedented nonglycosidic C-N bond formation in the biosynthesis of the aminocyclitol antibiotic validamycin A. This dedicated 'pseudoglycosyltransferase' catalyzes a condensation between GDP-valienol and validamine 7-phosphate to give validoxylamine A 7'-phosphate with net retention of the 'anomeric' configuration of the donor cyclitol in the product. The enzyme operates in sequence with a phosphatase, which dephosphorylates validoxylamine A 7'-phosphate to validoxylamine A.
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