Reconstituting Spore Cortex Peptidoglycan Biosynthesis Reveals a Deacetylase That Catalyzes Transamidation.

ABSTRACT: Some bacteria survive in nutrient-poor environments and resist killing by antimicrobials by forming spores. The cortex layer of the peptidoglycan cell wall that surrounds mature spores contains a unique modification, muramic-δ-lactam, that is essential for spore germination and outgrowth. Two proteins, the amidase CwlD and the deacetylase PdaA, are required for muramic-δ-lactam synthesis in cells, but their combined ability to generate muramic-δ-lactam has not been directly demonstrated. Here we report an in vitro reconstitution of cortex peptidoglycan biosynthesis, and we show that CwlD and PdaA together are sufficient for muramic-δ-lactam formation. Our method enables characterization of the individual reaction steps, and we show for the first time that PdaA has transamidase activity, ca

SUBMITTER: Tobin MJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10116595 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature