Lytic transglycosylases mitigate periplasmic crowding by degrading soluble cell wall turnover products
Cornell University · Umeå University · +2 more institutions
Abstract
The peptidoglycan cell wall is a predominant structure of bacteria, determining cell shape and supporting survival in diverse conditions. Peptidoglycan is dynamic and requires regulated synthesis of new material, remodeling, and turnover – or autolysis – of old material. Despite exploitation of peptidoglycan synthesis as an antibiotic target, we lack a fundamental understanding of how peptidoglycan synthesis and autolysis intersect to maintain the cell wall. Here, we uncover a critical physiological role for a widely misunderstood class of autolytic enzymes, lytic transglycosylases (LTGs). We demonstrate that LTG activity is essential to survival by contributing to periplasmic processes upstream and…
Citation impact
- FWCI
- 74.34
- Percentile
- 100%
- References
- 71
Authors
8Topics & keywords
- Lytic cycle
- Periplasmic space
- Chemistry
- Protein turnover
- Cell biology
- Biochemistry
- Cell wall
- Biology
- Life in Land