Peptidoglycan or murein is a unique large macromolecule, a polysaccharide, consisting of sugars and amino acids that forms a mesh-like peptidoglycan layer outside the plasma membrane, the rigid cell wall characteristic of most bacteria. The sugar component consists of alternating residues of β-(1,4) linked N-acetylglucosamine (NAG) and N-acetylmuramic acid (NAM). Attached to the N-acetylmuramic acid is an oligopeptide chain made of three to five amino acids. The peptide chain can be cross-linked to the peptide chain of another strand forming the 3D mesh-like layer. Peptidoglycan serves a structural role in the bacterial cell wall, giving structural strength, as well as counteracting the osmotic pressure of the cytoplasm. This repetitive linking results in a dense peptidoglycan layer which is critical for maintaining cell form and withstanding high osmotic pressures, and it is regularly replaced by peptidoglycan production. Peptidoglycan hydrolysis and synthesis are two processes that must occur in order for cells to grow and multiply, a technique carried out in three stages: clipping of current material, insertion of new material, and re-crosslinking of existing material to new material.
Bacitracin is a polypeptide antibiotic. It is a mixture of related cyclic peptides produced by Bacillus licheniformis bacteria, that was first isolated from the variety "Tracy I" in 1945. These peptides disrupt gram-positive bacteria by interfering with cell wall and peptidoglycan synthesis.
Inorganic pyrophosphatase is an enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of one ion of pyrophosphate to two phosphate ions. This is a highly exergonic reaction, and therefore can be coupled to unfavorable biochemical transformations in order to drive these transformations to completion. The functionality of this enzyme plays a critical role in lipid metabolism, calcium absorption and bone formation, and DNA synthesis, as well as other biochemical transformations.
Pyrophosphatases, also known as diphosphatases, are acid anhydride hydrolases that act upon diphosphate bonds.
In enzymology, an ATP diphosphatase (EC 3.6.1.8) is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction
In enzymology, a CDP-diacylglycerol diphosphatase (EC 3.6.1.26) is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction
In enzymology, a dolichyldiphosphatase (EC 3.6.1.43) is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction
In enzymology, a guanosine-5'-triphosphate,3'-diphosphate diphosphatase (EC 3.6.1.40) is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction
In enzymology, a nucleoside-diphosphatase (EC 3.6.1.6) is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction
In enzymology, a nucleoside-triphosphatase(NTPase) (EC 3.6.1.15) is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction
In enzymology, a nucleoside-triphosphate diphosphatase (EC 3.6.1.19) is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction
In enzymology, a phosphoribosyl-ATP diphosphatase (EC 3.6.1.31) is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction
In enzymology, an UDP-sugar diphosphatase (EC 3.6.1.45) is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction
In enzymology, an undecaprenol kinase is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction
4-Hydroxy-3-methylbut-2-enyl diphosphate reductase (EC 1.17.1.2, isopentenyl-diphosphate:NADP+ oxidoreductase, LytB, (E)-4-hydroxy-3-methylbut-2-en-1-yl diphosphate reductase, HMBPP reductase, IspH, LytB/IspH) is an enzyme in the non-mevalonate pathway. It acts upon (E)-4-Hydroxy-3-methyl-but-2-enyl pyrophosphate (or "HMB-PP").
C55-isoprenyl pyrophosphate is an essential molecule involved in construction of the bacterial peptidoglycan cell wall. It is a receptor found in the plasma membrane of bacteria that allows glycan tetrapeptide monomers synthesized in the cell cytoplasm to translocate to the periplasmic space.
UDP-N-acetylglucosamine—undecaprenyl-phosphate N-acetylglucosaminephosphotransferase is an enzyme with systematic name UDP-N-acetyl-alpha-D-glucosamine:ditrans,octacis-undecaprenyl phosphate N-acetyl-alpha-D-glucosaminephosphotransferase. This enzyme catalyses the following chemical reaction
Diacylglycerol diphosphate phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.81, DGPP phosphatase, DGPP phosphohydrolase, DPP1, DPPL1, DPPL2, PAP2, pyrophosphate phosphatase) is an enzyme with systematic name 1,2-diacyl-sn-glycerol 3-phosphate phosphohydrolase. This enzyme catalyses the following chemical reaction
Farnesyl diphosphatase (EC 3.1.7.6, FPP phosphatase) is an enzyme with systematic name (2E,6E)-farnesyl-diphosphate diphosphohydrolase. It catalyses the reaction
Undecaprenyl phosphate (UP), also known lipid-P, bactoprenol and C55-P., is a molecule with the primary function of trafficking polysaccharides across the cell membrane, largely contributing to the overall structure of the cell wall in Gram-positive bacteria. In some situations, UP can also be utilized to carry other cell-wall polysaccharides, but UP is the designated lipid carrier for peptidoglycan. During the process of carrying the peptidoglycan across the cell membrane, N-acetylglucosamine and N-acetylmuramic acid are linked to UP on the cytoplasmic side of the membrane before being carried across. UP works in a cycle of phosphorylation and dephosphorylation as the lipid carrier gets used, recycled, and reacts with undecaprenyl phosphate. This type of synthesis is referred to as de novo synthesis where a complex molecule is created from simpler molecules as opposed to a complete recycle of the entire structure.
