Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Nucleic Acid Structure01:25

Nucleic Acid Structure

The pentose sugar in DNA is deoxyribose, while in RNA the pentose sugar is ribose. The difference between the sugars is the presence of the hydroxyl group on the ribose's second carbon and a hydrogen on the deoxyribose's second carbon. The phosphate residue attaches to the hydroxyl group of the 5′ carbon of one sugar and the hydroxyl group of the 3′ carbon of the sugar of the next nucleotide, which forms  a 5′ to 3′ phosphodiester linkage.
DNA Structure
DNA has a double-helix structure. The...
Polymers02:34

Polymers

The word polymer is derived from the Greek words “poly” which means “many” and “mer” which means “parts”. Polymers are long chains of molecules composed of repeating units of smaller molecules, known as monomers. They either occur naturally, such as DNA and proteins, or can be constructed synthetically, like plastics. They have varied structural characteristics, such as linear chains, branched chains, or complex networks, that contribute to the properties that they exhibit. Additionally,...
The Replisome03:01

The Replisome

DNA replication is carried out by a large complex of proteins that act in a coordinated matter to achieve high-fidelity DNA replication. Together this complex is known as the DNA replication machinery or the replisome.
The synthesis of the leading and lagging strands is a highly coordinated process. To explain this, the “Trombone model” was proposed by Bruce Alberts in 1980. The DNA loop formation starts when a primer is synthesized on the parent lagging strand. The loop grows with the...
Phosphodiester Linkages01:01

Phosphodiester Linkages

Overview
Phosphodiester bond forms when a phosphoric acid molecule (H3PO4) links with two hydroxyl groups (–OH) of two other molecules, forming two ester bonds. Two water molecules are released in this process. The phosphodiester bond is commonly found in nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) and plays a critical role in their structure and function.
Phosphodiester Bonds Link Nucleotides Together
DNA and RNA are polynucleotides or long chains of nucleotides that are linked together. A nucleotide is...
Biosynthesis of Polysaccharides01:26

Biosynthesis of Polysaccharides

Polysaccharides such as glycogen and starch are synthesized from nucleoside diphosphate sugars, primarily uridine diphosphate glucose (UDPG) and adenosine diphosphate glucose (ADPG). These activated glucose donors act as key intermediates in carbohydrate metabolism and biosynthesis. UDPG primarily involves glycogen synthesis in animals and many bacteria, while ADPG plays a fundamental role in starch synthesis in plants and certain bacteria.UDPG is formed when glucose-1-phosphate reacts with...
ATP and Macromolecule Synthesis01:28

ATP and Macromolecule Synthesis

Biological macromolecules are organic compounds, predominantly composed of carbon atoms. The carbon atoms are covalently bonded with hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and other minor elements. There are four major biological macromolecule classes: carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.
Most macromolecules are composed of single subunits, or building blocks, called monomers. The monomers combine with each other using covalent bonds to form larger molecules known as polymers.
Conversion of...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Disruptions in outer membrane-peptidoglycan interactions enhance bile salt resistance in O-antigen-producing <i>E. coli</i>.

mBio·2025
Same author

D-cysteine impairs tumour growth by inhibiting cysteine desulfurase NFS1.

Nature metabolism·2025
Same author

The porphyran degradation system is complete, phylogenetically and geographically diverse across the gut microbiota of East Asian populations.

PloS one·2025
Same author

Recent insights into Wzy polymerases and lipopolysaccharide O-antigen biosynthesis.

Journal of bacteriology·2025
Same author

Salmonella exploits LRRK2-dependent plasma membrane dynamics to invade host cells.

Nature communications·2025
Same author

Structural Changes at the Zinc Active Site of ACE2 on Binding the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Receptor Binding Domain.

Inorganic chemistry·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 27, 2026

Multi-target Parallel Processing Approach for Gene-to-structure Determination of the Influenza Polymerase PB2 Subunit
22:10

Multi-target Parallel Processing Approach for Gene-to-structure Determination of the Influenza Polymerase PB2 Subunit

Published on: June 28, 2013

Sequence-structure relationships in polysaccharide co-polymerase (PCP) proteins.

Renato Morona1, Leanne Purins, Ante Tocilj

  • 1Australian Bacterial Pathogenesis Program, School of Molecular and Biomedical Science, Discipline of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia. renato.morona@adelaide.edu.au

Trends in Biochemical Sciences
|December 9, 2008
PubMed
Summary

Bacterial cell surface polysaccharides regulate host interactions. Polysaccharide co-polymerases (PCPs) control polysaccharide length, and new crystal structures of Wzz proteins offer insights into PCP mechanisms.

More Related Videos

Artificial RNA Polymerase II Elongation Complexes for Dissecting Co-transcriptional RNA Processing Events
10:59

Artificial RNA Polymerase II Elongation Complexes for Dissecting Co-transcriptional RNA Processing Events

Published on: May 13, 2019

Synthesis of Information-bearing Peptoids and their Sequence-directed Dynamic Covalent Self-assembly
09:34

Synthesis of Information-bearing Peptoids and their Sequence-directed Dynamic Covalent Self-assembly

Published on: February 6, 2020

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 27, 2026

Multi-target Parallel Processing Approach for Gene-to-structure Determination of the Influenza Polymerase PB2 Subunit
22:10

Multi-target Parallel Processing Approach for Gene-to-structure Determination of the Influenza Polymerase PB2 Subunit

Published on: June 28, 2013

Artificial RNA Polymerase II Elongation Complexes for Dissecting Co-transcriptional RNA Processing Events
10:59

Artificial RNA Polymerase II Elongation Complexes for Dissecting Co-transcriptional RNA Processing Events

Published on: May 13, 2019

Synthesis of Information-bearing Peptoids and their Sequence-directed Dynamic Covalent Self-assembly
09:34

Synthesis of Information-bearing Peptoids and their Sequence-directed Dynamic Covalent Self-assembly

Published on: February 6, 2020

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Structural Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Bacterial cell surface polysaccharides play crucial roles in host-pathogen interactions and immune evasion.
  • The length of these polysaccharides is often regulated and distributed around a specific modal length.
  • Polysaccharide co-polymerases (PCPs) are a large protein family responsible for regulating polysaccharide modal length in bacteria.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To provide atomic-resolution structural information for the Polysaccharide Co-polymerase 1 (PCP1) group.
  • To elucidate the structural basis for polysaccharide length regulation by Wzz proteins.

Main Methods:

  • X-ray crystallography was used to determine the structures of Wzz proteins from Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium.

Main Results:

  • The crystal structures of Wzz proteins (PCP1 family) from E. coli and S. typhimurium were determined at atomic resolution.
  • These structures provide the first detailed atomic insights into the architecture of PCPs.

Conclusions:

  • The determined Wzz protein structures offer a foundation for understanding the mechanism of polysaccharide length regulation.
  • These findings have implications for understanding the structure and function of other PCP families and bacterial surface polysaccharide assembly.