Biosynthesis of intestinal mucins. Sialic acids of sheep colonic epithelial mucin

1. Sheep colonic mucin contains three types of sialic acids, separable from the macrostructure by mild acidic hydrolysis. These are composed chiefly of N-acetyl-and N-glycollyl-neuraminic acid in ratios between 1:1.2 and 1:3.5 for different preparations of the mucin. The third sialic acid appears to be a diacetylated neuraminic acid. 2. A particle-free enzyme preparation, obtained from sheep colonic mucosa by gentle homogenization and high-speed centrifugation, catalyses a series of reactions involving N-acylamino sugars and leading to the formation of sialic acids in vitro: (i) phosphorylation by ATP of d-glucosamine, N-acetyl-and N-glycollyl-d-glucosamine; (ii) conversion of N-acetylglucosamine 6-phosphate into N-acetyl-d-glucosamine 1-phosphate; (iii) formation of sialic acids from phosphoenolpyruvate and N-acetyl- or N-glycollyl-d-glucosamine; (iv) formation of N-acetylneuraminic acid from uridine diphospho-N-acetylglucosamine or from N-acetylmannosamine; (v) incorporation of l-U-(14)C]serine into the mucin by whole mucosal preparations.