Cytoplasmic precursors of the peptidoglycan biosynthetic pathway were purified from vancomycin-treated, glycopeptide-sensitive and -resistant strains of Enterococcus faecium. Resistance was due to production of a modified precursor, UDP-MurNAc-L-Ala-D-Glu-L-Lys-D-Ala-D-lactate, where lactate was identified on the basis of mass of the precursor and on its ability to act as a substrate for D-lactate dehydrogenase after release from the precursor. The presence of the D-lactate residue instead of D-alanine in the terminal position would hinder formation of a vancomycin-precursor complex, without preventing incorporation of the precursor into mature peptidoglycan.
Cytoplasmic precursors of the peptidoglycan biosynthetic pathway were purified from vancomycin‐treated, glycopeptide‐sensitive and ‐resistant strains of Enterococcus faecium. Resistance was due to production of a modified precursor, UDP‐MurNAc‐l‐Ala‐d‐Glu‐l‐Lys‐d ‐Ala‐d‐lactate, where lactate was identified on the basis of mass of the precursor and on its ability to act as a substrate for d‐lactate dehydrogenase after release from the precursor. The presence of the d‐lactate residue instead of d‐alanine in the terminal position would hinder formation of a vancomycin‐precursor complex, without preventing incorporation of the precursor into mature peptidoglycan.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.