The enzyme is involved in biosynthesis of GDP-D-glycero-¦Á-D-manno-heptose, which is required for assembly of S-layer glycoprotein in some Gram-positive bacteria. The?in vitro?catalytic efficiency of the enzyme from?Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron?is 6-fold higher with the ¦Á-anomer than with the ¦Â-anomer [1].