The isolation and synthesis of guanosine diphosphate glucose.

Cabib and Leloir (2) isolated and characterized guanosine diphosphate (GDP) mannose from bakers’ yeast and postulated that this nucleotide may serve as a donor of mannose residues for the synthesis of polymers which are present in the yeast cell wall. The occurrence of GDP-mannose may be ubiquitous since it has been reported to be present in hen’s oviduct (3), the molds Penicillium chrysogenum (4) and Eremothecium ashbyii (5), the red alga Porphyra perforata (6), guinea pig mammary gland (7), sheep mammary gland (8), and the milk of the sheep, goat, and sow (9). The biosynthesis of GDP-mannose, first reported by Munch-Peterson (lo), was shown to be catalyzed by a pyrophosphorylase from brewers’ yeast (Reaction 1).