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.
N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphate transferase is a transferase enzyme.
In enzymology, an UDP-N-acetylmuramate dehydrogenase (EC 1.3.1.98) is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction
In enzymology, an UDP-N-acetylglucosamine 2-epimerase is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction
In enzymology, a D-aspartate ligase is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction
In enzymology, a UDP-N-acetylmuramoyl-L-alanine—D-glutamate ligase is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction
In enzymology, a UDP-N-acetylmuramoyl-L-alanyl-D-glutamate—L-lysine ligase is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction
In enzymology, a UDP-N-acetylmuramoyl-tripeptide—D-alanyl-D-alanine ligase is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction
In enzymology, N-acetylglucosamine-6-phosphate deacetylase (EC 3.5.1.25), also known as GlcNAc-6-phosphate deacetylase or NagA, is an enzyme that catalyzes the deacetylation of N-acetylglucosamine-6-phosphate (GlcNAc-6-P) to glucosamine-6-phosphate (GlcN-6-P):
In enzymology, an UDP-N-acetylglucosamine 1-carboxyvinyltransferase is an enzyme that catalyzes the first committed step in peptidoglycan biosynthesis of bacteria:
Peptidoglycan glycosyltransferase is an enzyme used in the biosynthesis of peptidoglycan. It transfers a disaccharide-peptide from a donor substrate to synthesize a glycan chain.
In enzymology, a phospho-N-acetylmuramoyl-pentapeptide-transferase is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction
UDP-4-amino-4,6-dideoxy-N-acetyl-beta-L-altrosamine N-acetyltransferase is an enzyme with systematic name acetyl-CoA:UDP-4-amino-4,6-dideoxy-N-acetyl-beta-L-altrosamine N-acetyltransferase. This enzyme catalyses the following chemical reaction
Alpha-1,3-mannosyl-glycoprotein 2-beta-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase is an enzyme with systematic name UDP-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine:3-(alpha-D-mannosyl)-beta-D-mannosyl-glycoprotein 2-beta-N-acetyl-D-glucosaminyltransferase. This enzyme catalyses the following chemical reaction
Alpha-1,6-mannosyl-glycoprotein 2-beta-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase is an enzyme with systematic name UDP-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine:6-(alpha-D-mannosyl)-beta-D-mannosyl-glycoprotein 2-beta-N-acetyl-D-glucosaminyltransferase. This enzyme catalyses the following chemical reaction
High-mannose-oligosaccharide beta-1,4-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase, uridine diphosphoacetylglucosamine-oligosaccharide acetylglucosaminyltransferase, acetylglucosamine-oligosaccharide acetylglucosaminyltransferase, UDP-GlcNAc:oligosaccharide beta-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase, UDP-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine:high-mannose-oligosaccharide beta-1,4-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase) is an enzyme with systematic name UDP-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine:high-mannose-oligosaccharide 4-beta-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase. This enzyme catalyses the following chemical reaction
UDP-N-acetylglucosamine kinase is an enzyme with systematic name ATP:UDP-N-acetyl-alpha-D-glucosamine 3'-phosphotransferase. This enzyme catalyses the following chemical reaction
Epimerox is an experimental broad-spectrum antibiotic compound being developed by scientists at the Rockefeller University and Astex Pharmaceuticals. It is a small molecule inhibitor compound that blocks the activity of the enzyme UDP-N-acetylglucosamine 2-epimerase, an epimerase enzyme that is called 2-epimerase for short.
UDP-N-acetylmuramoyl-L-alanyl-D-glutamate—D-lysine ligase is an enzyme with systematic name UDP-N-acetylmuramoyl-L-alanyl-D-glutamate:D-lysine alpha-ligase (ADP-forming). This enzyme catalyses the following chemical reaction
Lipid II is a precursor molecule in the synthesis of the cell wall of bacteria. It is a peptidoglycan, which is amphipathic and named for its bactoprenol hydrocarbon chain, which acts as a lipid anchor, embedding itself in the bacterial cell membrane. Lipid II must translocate across the cell membrane to deliver and incorporate its disaccharide-pentapeptide "building block" into the peptidoglycan mesh. Lipid II is the target of several antibiotics.
