CMP-Sialic acid is a form of the sugar N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) O-linked with the nucleotide cytidine-5’-monophosphate (CMP). In vertebrates, it is biosynthesized within the nucleus from CTP and Neu5Ac by CMP-sialic acid synthetases. Sialyltransferases transfer Neu5Ac from CMP-sialic acid to various acceptor substrates, most commonly at terminal positions of the oligosaccharide component of glycoproteins or glycolipids. Sialic acid-containing glycans at the cell surface play important roles in cell interactions and have roles in infection, inflammation, and cancer.
