the first sugar and a first oxygen atom of the phosphate group, a linkage between a carbon atom of the second sugar and a second oxygen atom of the phosphate group, and an electrostatic interaction between free oxygen atoms of the phosphate group and the ion, and wherein the orientation of the linkage is synclinal, and, preferably the distance between the carbon atom linked to the first sugar and the carbon atom linked to the second sugar is in the range 3.7 xc3x85 to 4.5 xc3x85;
(c) combining a first sugar, a diphosphate group, and a second sugar that is transferred by the glycosyltransferase to an acceptor for the glycosyltransferase, under conditions appropriate for formation of a bond between a carbon atom of the first sugar and an oxygenatom of a first phosphate of the diphosphate group, and formation of a linkage between a carbon atom of the second sugar and an oxygen atom of a second phosphate of the diphosphate group, wherein the orientation of the linkage is antiperiplanar, phosphorous-oxygen bonds linking the first phosphate to the second phosphate of the diphosphate group are in a synclinal or anticlinal orientation, and synclinal orientation, respectively, or symmetrically related orientation, and preferably the distance between the carbon atom linked to the first sugar and the carbon atom linked to the second sugar is in the range 4.9 xc3x85 to 5.3 xc3x85; or
(d) combining a first sugar, a diphosphate group, an ion, and a second sugar that is transferred by the glycosyltransferase to an acceptor for the glycosyltransferase,