The Synthesis of Guanosine 5'-Diphosphate l-Fucose from Guanosine 5'-Diphosphate 3,5-d-[H]Mannose Catalyzed by an Enzyme Extract from Fruits of the Flax.

An enzyme system from fruits of the flax plant is described that catalyzes the synthesis of the sugar nucleotide guanosine 5'-diphosphate l-fucose from guanosine 5'-diphosphate d-mannose with the intermediate formation of guanosine 5'-diphosphate 4-keto-6-deoxy-d-mannose. Tritium from-[(3)H]H(2)O was incorporated into the l-fucose portion of the sugar nucleotide in the course of the reaction, and tritium at the 3,5-carbons of the d-mannose moiety of GDP-d-mannose was exchanged with protons in the medium. These results support a mechanism of synthesis analogous to that proposed for the formation of l-rhamnose and other 6-deoxy sugars.