Primer preactivation of peptidoglycan polymerases
Journal
Journal of the American Chemical Society
Journal Volume
133
Journal Issue
22
Pages
8528-8530
Date Issued
2011
Author(s)
Abstract
Peptidoglycan glycosyltransferases are highly conserved bacterial enzymes that catalyze glycan strand polymerization to build the cell wall. Because the cell wall is essential for bacterial cell survival, these glycosyltransferases are potential antibiotic targets, but a detailed understanding of their mechanisms is lacking. Here we show that a synthetic peptidoglycan fragment that mimics the elongating polymer chain activates peptidoglycan glycosyltransferases by bypassing the rate-limiting initiation step.
Type
journal article