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Polymerases

Glycan chain-length control

Bacterial polysaccharides exhibit remarkable structural diversity and play critical roles in the biology of their producing organisms. A recent study defines the minimal machinery for polymerization in a widely disseminated assembly pathway.

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Figure 1: Components and proposed activities in the Wzy-dependent polysaccharide biosynthesis pathway.

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Correspondence to Chris Whitfield.

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Whitfield, C. Glycan chain-length control. Nat Chem Biol 6, 403–404 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nchembio.376

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