Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1972 Jan;109(1):326–335. doi: 10.1128/jb.109.1.326-335.1972

Murein Synthesis and Identification of Cell Wall Precursors of Temperature-Sensitive Lysis Mutants of Escherichia coli1

E J J Lugtenberg a, Liesbeth de Haas-Menger a, W H M Ruyters a
PMCID: PMC247283  PMID: 4550671

Abstract

A group of temperature-sensitive lysis mutants of Escherichia coli K-12 was studied. Mutants impaired in the synthesis of uridine diphosphate-N-acetylmuramyl (UDP-MurNAc)-pentapeptide or in the synthesis of murein amino acids were found. Their rate of murein synthesis at the restrictive temperature was decreased. A large number of mutants did not differ from the parent strain with respect to the rate of murein synthesis and the precursor pattern. The behavior of these mutants is discussed. It was impossible to accumulate UDP-MurNAc-pentapeptide in E. coli by the antibiotics penicillin and vancomycin. The hypothesis is put forward that the amount of this murein precursor is regulated by feedback inhibition.

Full text

PDF
326

Images in this article

331Image
on p.331

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Boylan R. J., Mendelson N. H. Initial characterization of a temperature-sensitive rod--mutant of Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol. 1969 Dec;100(3):1316–1321. doi: 10.1128/jb.100.3.1316-1321.1969. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. COMB D. G., CHIN W., ROSEMAN S. Uridine nucleotides containing 2, 6-diaminopimelic acid from Escherichia coli. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1961 Jan 15;46:394–397. doi: 10.1016/0006-3002(61)90768-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. COTA-ROBLES E. H., DUNCAN P. H. The effect of D-glutamic acid upon spheroplast formation in Escherichia coli B. Exp Cell Res. 1962 Nov;28:342–349. doi: 10.1016/0014-4827(62)90288-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Cole R. M., Popkin T. J., Boylan R. J., Mendelson N. H. Ultrastructure of a temperature-sensitive rod- mutant of Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol. 1970 Sep;103(3):793–810. doi: 10.1128/jb.103.3.793-810.1970. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Demerec M., Adelberg E. A., Clark A. J., Hartman P. E. A proposal for a uniform nomenclature in bacterial genetics. Genetics. 1966 Jul;54(1):61–76. doi: 10.1093/genetics/54.1.61. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Good C. M., Pattee P. A. Temperature-Sensitive Osmotically Fragile Mutants of Staphylococcus aureus. J Bacteriol. 1970 Dec;104(3):1401–1403. doi: 10.1128/jb.104.3.1401-1403.1970. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Gunetileke K. G., Anwar R. A. Biosynthesis of uridine diphospho-N-acetyl muramic acid. J Biol Chem. 1966 Dec 10;241(23):5740–5743. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Gunetileke K. G., Anwar R. A. Biosynthesis of uridine diphospho-N-acetylmuramic acid. II. Purification and properties of pyruvate-uridine diphospho-N-acetylglucosamine transferase and characterization of uridine diphospho-N-acetylenopyruvylglucosamine. J Biol Chem. 1968 Nov 10;243(21):5770–5778. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Hoekstra W. P., de Haan P. G. The location of the restriction locus for lambda-K in Escherichia coli. Mutat Res. 1965 Jun;2(3):204–212. doi: 10.1016/0027-5107(65)90029-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Izaki K., Matsuhashi M., Strominger J. L. Biosynthesis of the peptidoglycan of bacterial cell walls. 8. Peptidoglycan transpeptidase and D-alanine carboxypeptidase: penicillin-sensitive enzymatic reaction in strains of Escherichia coli. J Biol Chem. 1968 Jun 10;243(11):3180–3192. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. LOVELESS A., HOWARTH S. Mutation of bacteria at high levels of survival by ethyl methane sulphonate. Nature. 1959 Dec 5;184:1780–1782. doi: 10.1038/1841780a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Mangiarotti G., Apirion D., Schlessinger D. Selection of sucrose-dependent Escherichia coli to obtain envelope mutants and fragile cultures. Science. 1966 Aug 19;153(3738):892–894. doi: 10.1126/science.153.3738.892. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Matsuzawa H., Matsuhashi M., Oka A., Sugino Y. Genetic and biochemical studies on cell wall peptidoglycan synthesis in Escherichia coli K-12. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1969 Aug 15;36(4):682–689. doi: 10.1016/0006-291x(69)90360-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. NEUHAUS F. C. The enzymatic synthesis of D-alanyl-D-alanine. I. Purification and properties of D-alanyl-D-alanine synthetase. J Biol Chem. 1962 Mar;237:778–786. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Pooley H. M., Shockman G. D. Relationship between the location of autolysin, cell wall synthesis, and the development of resistance to cellular autolysis in Streptococcus faecalis after inhibition of protein synthesis. J Bacteriol. 1970 Aug;103(2):457–466. doi: 10.1128/jb.103.2.457-466.1970. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. REISSIG J. L., STORMINGER J. L., LELOIR L. F. A modified colorimetric method for the estimation of N-acetylamino sugars. J Biol Chem. 1955 Dec;217(2):959–966. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Rogers H. J., McConnell M., Burdett I. D. Cell wall or membrane mutants of Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus licheniformis with grossly deformed morphology. Nature. 1968 Jul 20;219(5151):285–288. doi: 10.1038/219285a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Rogers H. J., McConnell M., Burdett I. D. The isolation and characterization of mutants of Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus licheniformis with disturbed morphology and cell division. J Gen Microbiol. 1970 May;61(2):155–171. doi: 10.1099/00221287-61-2-155. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. STROMINGER J. L., THRENN R. H. Accumulation of a uridine nucleotide in Staphylococcus aureus as the consequence of lysine deprivation. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1959 Nov;36:83–92. doi: 10.1016/0006-3002(59)90072-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Taylor A. L. Current linkage map of Escherichia coli. Bacteriol Rev. 1970 Jun;34(2):155–175. doi: 10.1128/br.34.2.155-175.1970. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. WEIDEL W., PELZER H. BAGSHAPED MACROMOLECULES--A NEW OUTLOOK ON BACTERIAL CELL WALLS. Adv Enzymol Relat Areas Mol Biol. 1964;26:193–232. doi: 10.1002/9780470122716.ch5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Bacteriology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES