This family features glycosyltransferases belonging to glycosyltransferase family 52 [1], which have alpha-2,3- sialyltransferase (EC:4.2.99.4) and alpha-glucosyltransferase (EC 2.4.1.-) activity. For example, beta-galactoside alpha-2,3- sialyltransferase expressed by Neisseria meningitidis (Swiss:P72097) is a member of this family and is involved in a step of lipooligosaccharide biosynthesis requiring sialic acid transfer; these lipooligosaccharides are thought to be important in the process of pathogenesis [2]. This family includes several bacterial lipooligosaccharide sialyltransferases similar to the Haemophilus ducreyi LST protein. Haemophilus ducreyi is the cause of the sexually transmitted disease chancroid and produces a lipooligosaccharide (LOS) containing a terminal sialyl N-acetyllactosamine trisaccharide [3].

1: An evolving hierarchical family classification for glycosyltransferases. Coutinho PM, Deleury E, Davies GJ, Henrissat B; J Mol Biol 2003;328:307-317. PMID:12691742

2: Cloning of the lipooligosaccharide alpha-2,3-sialyltransferase from the bacterial pathogens Neisseria meningitidis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Gilbert M, Watson DC, Cunningham AM, Jennings MP, Young NM, Wakarchuk WW; J Biol Chem 1996;271:28271-28276. PMID:8910446

3: Haemophilus ducreyi produces a novel sialyltransferase. Identification of the sialyltransferase gene and construction of mutants deficient in the production of the sialic acid-containing glycoform of the lipooligosaccharide. Bozue JA, Tullius MV, Wang J, Gibson BW, Munson RS Jr; J Biol Chem 1999;274:4106-4114. PMID:9933604

4: Haemophilus influenzae type b strain A2 has multiple sialyltransferases involved in lipooligosaccharide sialylation. Jones PA, Samuels NM, Phillips NJ, Munson RS Jr, Bozue JA, Arseneau JA, Nichols WA, Zaleski A, Gibson BW, Apicella MA; J Biol Chem 2002;277:14598-14611. PMID:11842084