Structural basis of lipopolysaccharide maturation by the O-antigen ligase.

ABSTRACT: The outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria has an external leaflet that is largely composed of lipopolysaccharide, which provides a selective permeation barrier, particularly against antimicrobials¹. The final and crucial step in the biosynthesis of lipopolysaccharide is the addition of a species-dependent O-antigen to the lipid A core oligosaccharide, which is catalysed by the O-antigen ligase WaaL². Here we present structures of WaaL from Cupriavidus metallidurans, both in the apo state and in complex with its lipid carrier undecaprenyl pyrophosphate, determined by single-particle cryo-electron microscopy. The structures reveal that WaaL comprises 12 transmembrane helices and a predominantly α-helical periplasmic region, which we show contains many of the conserve

SUBMITTER: Ashraf KU 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9884178 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature