AtGPP2 encodes a 3-deoxy-manno-octulosonate-8-phosphatase required for the synthesis of KDO in rhamnogalacturonan II

3-Deoxy-d-manno-oct-2-ulosonic acid (KDO) is an essential component of rhamnogalacturonan II (RG-II), a complex pectic polysaccharide required for plant growth and development. While most steps of the KDO biosynthetic pathway have been characterized in plants, KDO-8-phosphatase (KDO8Pase), the phosphatase responsible for converting KDO 8-phosphate (KDO8P) to KDO, remained unidentified. To identify this missing component, we performed gene co-expression analysis and identified At5g57440 (GPP2) as the primary candidate in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana L.). Recombinant GPP2 protein exhibited KDO8P-specific phosphohydrolase activity in vitro. A green-fluorescent protein-tagged GPP2 protein was predominantly localized to mitochondria, consistent with the compartmentation of the subsequent step in KDO biosynthesis. Null mutants of GPP2 exhibited significant growth retardation under boron-limited conditions, in which expression of GPP2 and other KDO biosynthetic genes was up-regulated. The growth retardation was also observed in liquid culture in normal media, a condition that induces rapid growth and thus likely increases metabolic demand for KDO. Despite this growth defect, the KDO content per unit cell wall in gpp2 remained equivalent to that in wild-type plants. These results are consistent with the identification of GPP2 as the elusive plant KDO8Pase and suggest that KDO availability may become limiting for RG-II biosynthesis and cell wall production. Our findings complete the plant KDO biosynthetic pathway and provide new insights into the physiological significance of RG-II in cell wall biosynthesis.