D-Amino Acid Probes for Penicillin Binding Protein-based Bacterial Surface Labeling.

ABSTRACT: Peptidoglycan is an essential and highly conserved mesh structure that surrounds bacterial cells. It plays a critical role in retaining a defined cell shape, and, in the case of pathogenic Gram-positive bacteria, it lies at the interface between bacterial cells and the host organism. Intriguingly, bacteria can metabolically incorporate unnatural D-amino acids into the peptidoglycan stem peptide directly from the surrounding medium, a process mediated by penicillin binding proteins (PBPs). Metabolic peptidoglycan remodeling via unnatural D-amino acids has provided unique insights into peptidoglycan biosynthesis of live bacteria and has also served as the basis of a synthetic immunology strategy with potential therapeutic implications. A striking feature of this process is the vast promiscui

SUBMITTER: Fura JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4683274 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature