Glucose uridine 5 -pyrophosphate ester

The main function of the ester 34 in bacterial cells seems to be its participation in the biosynthesis of the glycopeptide cell-wall polymer. If this process is blocked, there results the accumulation of a high concentration of sugar nucleotide precursors in the cell. A number of these compounds have been isolated the simplest one is the ester of uridine 5 -pyrophosphate with N-acetylmuramic acid [2-acetamido-3-0-(D-l-carboxyethyl)-2-deoxy-D-glucose] (37), first obtained from Staphylococcus aureus cells that had been treated with penicillin7,151 or Gentian Violet.144 An intermediate in the biosynthesis of 37 was isolated and shown to be the 3 -enolpyruvate ether152,153 (38). 

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