Synthetic lethality of the lytE cwlO genotype in Bacillus subtilis is caused by lack of D,L-endopeptidase activity at the lateral cell wall.

ABSTRACT: Bacterial peptidoglycan acts as an exoskeleton to protect the bacterial cell. Although peptidoglycan biosynthesis by penicillin-binding proteins is well studied, few studies have described peptidoglycan disassembly, which is necessary for a dynamic structure that allows cell growth. In Bacillus subtilis, more than 35 genes encoding cell wall lytic enzymes have been identified; however, only two D,L-endopeptidases (lytE and cwlO) are involved in cell proliferation. In this study, we demonstrated that the D,L-endopeptidase activity at the lateral cell wall is essential for cell proliferation. Inactivation of LytE and CwlO by point mutation of the catalytic residues caused cell growth defects. However, the forced expression of LytF or CwlS, which are paralogs of LytE, did not suppress lytE cw

SUBMITTER: Hashimoto M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3272963 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature