A synthetic 5,3-cross-link in the cell wall of rod-shaped Gram-positive bacteria.
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ABSTRACT: Gram-positive bacteria assemble a multilayered cell wall that provides tensile strength to the cell. The cell wall is composed of glycan strands cross-linked by nonribosomally synthesized peptide stems. Herein, we modify the peptide stems of the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis with noncanonical electrophilic d-amino acids, which when in proximity to adjacent stem peptides form novel covalent 5,3-cross-links. Approximately 20% of canonical cell-wall cross-links can be replaced with synthetic cross-links. While a low level of synthetic cross-link formation does not affect B. subtilis growth and phenotype, at higher levels cell growth is perturbed and bacteria elongate. A comparison of the accumulation of synthetic cross-links over time in Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria highlights key differences between them. The ability to perturb cell-wall architecture with synthetic building blocks provides a novel approach to studying the adaptability, elasticity, and porosity of bacterial cell walls.
SUBMITTER: Dik DA
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7980369 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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