ExoA is involved in the biosynthesis of succinoglycan. Succinoglycan Biosynthesis Protein ExoA catalyzes the formation of a beta-1,3 linkage of the second sugar (glucose) of the succinoglycan with the galactose on the lipid carrie. Succinoglycan is an acidic exopolysaccharide that is important for invasion of the nodules. Succinoglycan is a high-molecular-weight polymer composed of repeating octasaccharide units. These units are synthesized on membrane-bound isoprenoid lipid carriers, beginning with galactose followed by seven glucose molecules, and modified by the addition of acetate, succinate, and pyruvate. ExoA is a membrane protein with a transmembrance domain at c-terminus.
Glycosyltransferase family A (GT-A) includes diverse families of glycosyl transferases with a common GT-A type structural fold. Glycosyltransferases (GTs) are enzymes that synthesize oligosaccharides, polysaccharides, and glycoconjugates by transferring the sugar moiety from an activated nucleotide-sugar donor to an acceptor molecule, which may be a growing oligosaccharide, a lipid, or a protein. Based on the stereochemistry of the donor and acceptor molecules, GTs are classified as either retaining or inverting enzymes. To date, all GT structures adopt one of two possible folds, termed GT-A fold and GT-B fold. This hierarchy includes diverse families of glycosyl transferases with a common GT-A type structural fold, which has two tightly associated beta/alpha/beta domains that tend to form a continuous central sheet of at least eight beta-strands. The majority of the proteins in this superfamily are Glycosyltransferase family 2 (GT-2) proteins. But it also includes families GT-43, GT-6, GT-8, GT13 and GT-7; which are evolutionarily related to GT-2 and share structure similarities.