UDP-N-acetylglucosamine 1-carboxyvinyltransferase

In enzymology, an UDP-N-acetylglucosamine 1-carboxyvinyltransferase is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction


 * phosphoenolpyruvate + UDP-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine $$\rightleftharpoons$$ phosphate + UDP-N-acetyl-3-O-(1-carboxyvinyl)-D-glucosamine

Thus, the two substrates of this enzyme are phosphoenolpyruvate and UDP-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine, whereas its two products are phosphate and UDP-N-acetyl-3-O-(1-carboxyvinyl)-D-glucosamine.

This enzyme belongs to the family of transferases, specifically those transferring aryl or alkyl groups other than methyl groups. The systematic name of this enzyme class is phosphoenolpyruvate:UDP-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine 1-carboxyvinyltransferase. This enzyme participates in amino sugars metabolism and glycan biosynthesis.

Structural studies
As of late 2007, 10 structures have been solved for this class of enzymes, with PDB accession codes, , , , , , , , , and.