N-acetylneuraminic acid synthase (NANS)

N-acetylneuraminic acid synthase (NANS) is a cytoplasmic enzyme essential for the biosynthesis of sialic acid, a key monosaccharide involved in the modification of glycoproteins and glycolipids[1][2]. NANS catalyzes the condensation of phosphoenolpyruvate with N-acetylmannosamine 6-phosphate to produce N-acetylneuraminic acid-9-phosphate, an important step in the endogenous production of sialic acids utilized for cell surface modification, especially in neural tissues[1][2][4]. Proper NANS function is required for embryonic brain and skeletal development, with deficiency leading to congenital disorders of glycosylation characterized by developmental delay, neurocognitive impairment, and skeletal anomalies[1][2]. Structurally, NANS contains an N-terminal TIM barrel and a C-terminal antifreeze-like domain required for catalytic and substrate-binding activity[2]. No interacting drugs or therapeutic agents are known; pathological roles are primarily due to loss-of-function mutations rather than pharmacological modulation.

Other names

N-acetylneuraminate synthaseN-acetylneuraminate-9-phosphate synthaseSialic acid synthaseSialic acid phosphate synthase3-deoxy-D-glycero-D-galacto-nononate 9-phosphate synthaseN-acetylneuraminic acid phosphate synthaseHEL-S-100SEMDCGSEMDGSASepididymis secretory protein Li 100sialic acid synthase