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. 1992 Sep;174(18):5982–5984. doi: 10.1128/jb.174.18.5982-5984.1992

The cytoplasmic peptidoglycan precursor of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis terminates in lactate.

S Handwerger 1, M J Pucci 1, K J Volk 1, J Liu 1, M S Lee 1
PMCID: PMC207137  PMID: 1522072

Abstract

Vancomycin resistance plasmids in enterococci carry the genes vanH and vanA, which encode enzymes catalyzing, respectively, the reduction of 2-keto acids to 2-D-hydroxy acids and the addition of D-hydroxy acids to D-alanine. It has therefore been postulated that resistant cells produce peptidoglycan precursors that terminate in the depsipeptide D-alanine-2-D-hydroxy acid rather than the dipeptide D-alanine-D-alanine, thus preventing vancomycin binding (M. Arthur, C. Molinas, T. D. H. Bugg, G. D. Wright, C. T. Walsh, and P. Courvalin, Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 36:867-869, 1992). In the present work, a cytoplasmic peptidoglycan precursor was isolated from vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis and analyzed by mass spectrometry, which suggested the structure UDP-N-acetyl-muramyl-L-Ala-D-Glu-L-Lys-D-Ala-D-lactate.

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Selected References

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