This invention provides prokaryotic .beta.1,4-N-acetylgalactosaminyl
(GalNAc) transferases involved in synthesis of lipooligosaccharide (LOS).
.beta.1,4-GalNAc transferases are obtained from, for example,
Campylobacter species, including C. jejuni. In additional embodiments,
the invention provides nucleic acids that encode the .beta.1,4-GalNAc
transferases, as well as expression vectors and host cells for expressing
the .beta.1,4-GalNAc transferases.