UDP-N-acetylglucosamine 2-epimerase (hydrolysing) (, UDP-N-acetylglucosamine 2-epimerase, GNE (gene), siaA (gene), neuC (gene)) is an enzyme with systematic name UDP-N-acetyl-alpha-D-glucosamine hydrolase (2-epimerising). It catalyses the following chemical reaction
The enzyme found in mammalian liver, as well as in some pathogenic bacteria including Neisseria meningitidis and Staphylococcus aureus removes the glycoside unit from uridine diphosphate N-acetylglucosamine to give uridine diphosphate and N-acetyl-D-mannosamine. The stereochemistry of the N-acetyl sidechain is inverted during the reaction. The conversion is part of the biosynthesis of sialic acids.
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