The incorporation of tritium from tritium-enriched water into UDP-N-acetylglucosamine and UDP-N-acetylmannosamine catalyzed by UDP-N-adetylglucosamine 2-epimerase from Escherichia coli.

Uridine diphosphate N-acetylglucosamine 2-epimerase from Escherichia coli 014 K7 H- catalyzes the reversible epimerization of uridine diphosphate N-acetylglucosamine to uridine diphosphate N-acetylmannosamine. During epimerization, tritium from tritium-enriched water is incorporated into both uridine diphosphate N-acetylglucosamine and uridine diphosphate N-acetylmannosamine. The position of incorporation is C-2 of the N-acetylhexosamine moieties.