Membranous sialyltransferase complexes from Escherichia coli K-235 catalyze the synthesis of surface polymers containing alpha-2,8-ketosidically linked polysialic acid. Undecaprenyl phosphate functions as an intermediate carrier of sialic acid (NeuNAc) residues between cytidine 5'-monophospho-N-acetylneuraminic acid (CMP-NeuNAc) and an endogenous acceptor (Troy, F.A., and McCloskey, M.A. (1979) J. Biol. Chem 254, 7377-7387). In vitro pulse-chase experiments now confirm that polymer elongation occurs by the addition of sialyl residues to the nonreducing termini of growing nascent chains. Sequential periodate oxidation and borohydride reduction of radiolabeled polysialic acid was used to quantitatively convert the terminal, nonreducing sialic acid to the 7-carbon analogue, 5-acetamido-3,5-dideoxy-L-arabino-2-heptulosonic acid (NeuNAc7). After complete hydrolysis of the polymers by neuraminidase, the ratio between NeuNAc and NeuNAc7 was used to determine the average degree of polymerization (D.P.). The membrane preparations used as a source of enzyme contained endogenous sialyl polymers that averaged 165 residues in length. During the first phase of in vitro synthesis, lasting about 90 min, 40 to 45 sialyl residues were transferred onto these endogenous acceptors. Subsequent in vitro incorporation increased at a slower, constant rate for at least 16 h. During this second phase of synthesis, the D.P. of newly synthesized chains remained relatively constant while the number of nonreducing terminal end groups, a measure of the number of new sialyl chains, increased. These results establish that individual polymer chains are rapidly elongated in vitro to a defined length of about 200 sialyl residues, then terminated and new chains started. The mechanism signaling chain termination, translocation of the sialyltransferase to a new acceptor, and chain reinitiation remains to be determined. Endogenous and enzymatically synthesized sialyl polymers were solubilized with Triton X-100 and purified to apparent homogeneity. Sialic acid accounted for approximately 93% of the mass of these polymers which had no free reducing terminal sialic acid. This position of the molecule is presumably occupied by an as yet unidentified component which links the sialyl polymer to the membrane.