scholarly journals The mycobacterial cell wall partitions the plasma membrane to organize its own synthesis

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alam García-Heredia ◽  
Takehiro Kado ◽  
Caralyn E. Sein ◽  
Julia Puffal ◽  
Sarah H. Osman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Membrane Domains ◽  
Peptidoglycan Biosynthesis ◽  
Cell Wall Assembly ◽  
Peptidoglycan Synthesis ◽  
Cell Wall Biogenesis ◽  
Mycobacterial Cell Wall ◽  
Wall Assembly ◽  
Made In

AbstractMany antibiotics target the assembly of cell wall peptidoglycan, an essential, heteropolymeric mesh that encases most bacteria. Different species have characteristic subcellular sites of peptidoglycan synthesis that they must carefully maintain for surface integrity and, ultimately, viability. In rod-shaped bacteria, cell wall elongation is spatially precise yet relies on a limited pool of lipid-linked precursors that generate and are attracted to membrane disorder. By tracking enzymes, substrates and products of peptidoglycan biosynthesis in Mycobacterium smegmatis, we show that precursors are made in plasma membrane domains that are laterally and biochemically distinct from sites of cell wall assembly. Membrane partitioning is required for robust, orderly peptidoglycan synthesis, indicating that these domains help template peptidoglycan synthesis. The cell wall-organizing protein DivIVA and the cell wall itself are essential for domain homeostasis. Thus, the peptidoglycan polymer feeds back on its membrane template to maintain an environment conducive to directional synthesis. We further show that our findings are applicable to rod-shaped bacteria that are phylogenetically distant from M. smegmatis, demonstrating that horizontal compartmentalization of precursors is a general feature of bacillary cell wall biogenesis.

scholarly journals Membrane-partitioned cell wall synthesis in mycobacteria

eLife ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alam García-Heredia ◽  
Takehiro Kado ◽  
Caralyn E Sein ◽  
Julia Puffal ◽  
Sarah H Osman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Mycobacterium Smegmatis ◽  
General Feature ◽  
Membrane Domains ◽  
Peptidoglycan Biosynthesis ◽  
Cell Wall Assembly ◽  
Peptidoglycan Synthesis ◽  
Cell Wall Biogenesis ◽  
Wall Assembly ◽  
Made In

Many antibiotics target the assembly of cell wall peptidoglycan, an essential, heteropolymeric mesh that encases most bacteria. In rod-shaped bacteria, cell wall elongation is spatially precise yet relies on limited pools of lipid-linked precursors that generate and are attracted to membrane disorder. By tracking enzymes, substrates, and products of peptidoglycan biosynthesis in Mycobacterium smegmatis, we show that precursors are made in plasma membrane domains that are laterally and biochemically distinct from sites of cell wall assembly. Membrane partitioning likely contributes to robust, orderly peptidoglycan synthesis, suggesting that these domains help template peptidoglycan synthesis. The cell wall-organizing protein DivIVA and the cell wall itself promote domain homeostasis. These data support a model in which the peptidoglycan polymer feeds back on its membrane template to maintain an environment conducive to directional synthesis. Our findings are applicable to rod-shaped bacteria that are phylogenetically distant from M. smegmatis, indicating that horizontal compartmentalization of precursors may be a general feature of bacillary cell wall biogenesis.

scholarly journals Control of Cell Wall Assembly by a Histone-Like Protein in Mycobacteria

2007 ◽  
Vol 189 (22) ◽  
pp. 8241-8249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomoya Katsube ◽  
Sohkichi Matsumoto ◽  
Masaki Takatsuka ◽  
Megumi Okuyama ◽  
Yuriko Ozeki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Wall Structure ◽  
Regulation Mechanism ◽  
Mycolic Acids ◽  
Growth State ◽  
Cell Wall Assembly ◽  
Cell Wall Biogenesis ◽  
Covalently Linked ◽  
Mycobacterial Cell Wall ◽  
Wall Assembly

ABSTRACT Bacteria coordinate assembly of the cell wall as well as synthesis of cellular components depending on the growth state. The mycobacterial cell wall is dominated by mycolic acids covalently linked to sugars, such as trehalose and arabinose, and is critical for pathogenesis of mycobacteria. Transfer of mycolic acids to sugars is necessary for cell wall biogenesis and is mediated by mycolyltransferases, which have been previously identified as three antigen 85 (Ag85) complex proteins. However, the regulation mechanism which links cell wall biogenesis and the growth state has not been elucidated. Here we found that a histone-like protein has a dual concentration-dependent regulatory effect on mycolyltransferase functions of the Ag85 complex through direct binding to both the Ag85 complex and the substrate, trehalose-6-monomycolate, in the cell wall. A histone-like protein-deficient Mycobacterium smegmatis strain has an unusual crenellated cell wall structure and exhibits impaired cessation of glycolipid biosynthesis in the growth-retarded phase. Furthermore, we found that artificial alteration of the amount of the extracellular histone-like protein and the Ag85 complex changes the growth rate of mycobacteria, perhaps due to impaired down-regulation of glycolipid biosynthesis. Our results demonstrate novel regulation of cell wall assembly which has an impact on bacterial growth.

scholarly journals Assemblies of DivIVA Mark Sites for Hyphal Branching and Can Establish New Zones of Cell Wall Growth in Streptomyces coelicolor

2008 ◽  
Vol 190 (22) ◽  
pp. 7579-7583 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antje Marie Hempel ◽  
Sheng-bing Wang ◽  
Michal Letek ◽  
José A. Gil ◽  
Klas Flärdh
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Streptomyces Coelicolor ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Cell Wall Assembly ◽  
Peptidoglycan Synthesis ◽  
Wall Growth ◽  
Lateral Branches ◽  
Wall Assembly ◽  
Time Lapse Imaging

ABSTRACT Time-lapse imaging of Streptomyces hyphae revealed foci of the essential protein DivIVA at sites where lateral branches will emerge. Overexpression experiments showed that DivIVA foci can trigger establishment of new zones of cell wall assembly, suggesting a key role of DivIVA in directing peptidoglycan synthesis and cell shape in Streptomyces.

scholarly journals A cytoplasmic peptidoglycan amidase homologue controls mycobacterial cell wall synthesis

eLife ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cara C Boutte ◽  
Christina E Baer ◽  
Kadamba Papavinasasundaram ◽  
Weiru Liu ◽  
Michael R Chase ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Antibiotic Tolerance ◽  
Bacterial Survival ◽  
Cell Wall Metabolism ◽  
Cell Wall Assembly ◽  
Enzymatic Function ◽  
Precursor Synthesis ◽  
Mycobacterial Cell Wall ◽  
Wall Assembly ◽  
Multiple Antibiotics

Regulation of cell wall assembly is essential for bacterial survival and contributes to pathogenesis and antibiotic tolerance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). However, little is known about how the cell wall is regulated in stress. We found that CwlM, a protein homologous to peptidoglycan amidases, coordinates peptidoglycan synthesis with nutrient availability. Surprisingly, CwlM is sequestered from peptidoglycan (PG) by localization in the cytoplasm, and its enzymatic function is not essential. Rather, CwlM is phosphorylated and associates with MurA, the first enzyme in PG precursor synthesis. Phosphorylated CwlM activates MurA ~30 fold. CwlM is dephosphorylated in starvation, resulting in lower MurA activity, decreased cell wall metabolism, and increased tolerance to multiple antibiotics. A phylogenetic analysis of cwlM implies that localization in the cytoplasm drove the evolution of this factor. We describe a system that controls cell wall metabolism in response to starvation, and show that this regulation contributes to antibiotic tolerance.

scholarly journals Modulation of peptidoglycan synthesis by recycled cell wall tetrapeptides

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara B. Hernández ◽  
Tobias Dörr ◽  
Matthew K. Waldor ◽  
Felipe Cava
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Cell Wall ◽  
Bacterial Cell ◽  
Cell Shape ◽  
Cell Wall Assembly ◽  
Peptidoglycan Synthesis ◽  
Cross Linkage ◽  
Recycling Pathway ◽  
Wall Assembly ◽  
Substrate Competition

ABSTRACTThe bacterial cell wall is made of peptidoglycan (PG), a polymer that is essential for maintenance of cell shape and survival. During growth, bacteria remodel their PG, releasing fragments that are predominantly re-internalized by the cell, where they are recycled for synthesis of new PG. Although the PG recycling pathway is widely conserved, its components are not essential and its roles in cell wall homeostasis are not well-understood. Here, we identified LdcV, a Vibrio cholerae L,D-carboxypeptidase that cleaves the terminal D-Alanine from recycled murotetrapeptides. In the absence of ldcV, recycled tetrapeptides accumulated in the cytosol, leading to two toxic consequences for the cell wall. First, incorporation of tetrapeptide-containing PG precursors into the cell wall led to reduction in D,D-cross-linkage between stem peptides, diminishing PG integrity. Second, tetrapeptide accumulation led to a decrease in canonical UDP-pentapeptide precursors, reducing PG synthesis. Thus, LdcV and the recycling pathway promote optimal cell wall assembly and composition. Furthermore, Ldc substrate preference for murotetrapeptides containing canonical (D-Alanine) vs. non-canonical (D-Methionine) D-amino acids is conserved, suggesting that accumulation of tetrapeptide recycling intermediates may modulate PG homeostasis in environments enriched in non-canonical-muropeptides via substrate competition.

scholarly journals Peptidoglycan precursor synthesis along the sidewall of pole-growing mycobacteria

eLife ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alam García-Heredia ◽  
Amol Arunrao Pohane ◽  
Emily S Melzer ◽  
Caleb R Carr ◽  
Taylor J Fiolek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Label Cell ◽  
Cell Wall Assembly ◽  
Support Cell ◽  
Peptidoglycan Synthesis ◽  
Precursor Synthesis ◽  
Alanine Synthesis ◽  
A Site ◽  
Wall Assembly

Rod-shaped mycobacteria expand from their poles, yet d-amino acid probes label cell wall peptidoglycan in this genus at both the poles and sidewall. We sought to clarify the metabolic fates of these probes. Monopeptide incorporation was decreased by antibiotics that block peptidoglycan synthesis or l,d-transpeptidation and in an l,d-transpeptidase mutant. Dipeptides complemented defects in d-alanine synthesis or ligation and were present in lipid-linked peptidoglycan precursors. Characterizing probe uptake pathways allowed us to localize peptidoglycan metabolism with precision: monopeptide-marked l,d-transpeptidase remodeling and dipeptide-marked synthesis were coincident with mycomembrane metabolism at the poles, septum and sidewall. Fluorescent pencillin-marked d,d-transpeptidation around the cell perimeter further suggested that the mycobacterial sidewall is a site of cell wall assembly. While polar peptidoglycan synthesis was associated with cell elongation, sidewall synthesis responded to cell wall damage. Peptidoglycan editing along the sidewall may support cell wall robustness in pole-growing mycobacteria.

scholarly journals Lcp1 Is a Phosphotransferase Responsible for Ligating Arabinogalactan to Peptidoglycan in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

mBio ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
James Harrison ◽  
Georgina Lloyd ◽  
Maju Joe ◽  
Todd L. Lowary ◽  
Edward Reynolds ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
Essential Gene ◽  
Cell Envelope ◽  
New Drugs ◽  
Cell Wall Assembly ◽  
Mycobacterial Cell ◽  
Unique Cell ◽  
Mycobacterial Cell Wall ◽  
Wall Assembly

ABSTRACT Mycobacterium tuberculosis , the etiological agent of tuberculosis (TB), has a unique cell envelope which accounts for its unusual low permeability and contributes to resistance against common antibiotics. The main structural elements of the cell wall consist of a cross-linked network of peptidoglycan (PG) in which some of the muramic acid residues are covalently attached to a complex polysaccharide, arabinogalactan (AG), via a unique α- l -rhamnopyranose–(1→3)-α- d -GlcNAc-(1→P) linker unit. While the molecular genetics associated with PG and AG biosynthetic pathways have been largely delineated, the mechanism by which these two major pathways converge has remained elusive. In Gram-positive organisms, the LytR-CpsA-Psr (LCP) family of proteins are responsible for ligating cell wall teichoic acids to peptidoglycan, through a linker unit that bears a striking resemblance to that found in mycobacterial arabinogalactan. In this study, we have identified Rv3267 as a mycobacterial LCP homolog gene that encodes a phosphotransferase which we have named Lcp1. We demonstrate that lcp1 is an essential gene required for cell viability and show that recombinant Lcp1 is capable of ligating AG to PG in a cell-free radiolabeling assay. IMPORTANCE Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by the bacterial organism Mycobacterium tuberculosis . Survival of M. tuberculosis rests critically on the integrity of its unique cell wall; therefore, a better understanding of how the genes and enzymes involved in cell wall assembly work is fundamental for us to develop new drugs to treat this disease. In this study, we have identified Lcp1 as an essential phosphotransferase that ligates together arabinogalactan and peptidoglycan, two crucial cell wall macromolecules found within the mycobacterial cell wall. The discovery of Lcp1 sheds new light on the final stages of mycobacterial cell wall assembly and represents a key biosynthetic step that could be exploited for new anti-TB drug discovery.

Synthesis and anti-mycobacterial activity of glycosyl sulfamides of arabinofuranose

2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 1748-1754 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kajitha Suthagar ◽  
Antony J. Fairbanks
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Hydroxyl Group ◽  
Cell Wall Assembly ◽  
Mycobacterial Cell ◽  
Furanose Form ◽  
Mycobacterial Cell Wall ◽  
Wall Assembly

A series ofarabino N-glycosyl sulfamides, forced to adopt the furanose form by removal of the 5-hydroxyl group, were synthesised as putative isosteric mimics of decaprenolphosphoarabinose, the donor processed by arabinosyltransferases during mycobacterial cell wall assembly.

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