Structure of the Cell Wall of Staphylococcus aureus Strain Copenhagen. VI. The Soluble Glycopeptide and Its Sequential Degradation by Peptidases^*

Abstract

The composition of a soluble glycopeptide obtained after the lysis of cell walls of Staphylococcus aureus by an acetylmuramidase has been reported. This glycopeptide has been degraded sequentially by two peptidase preparations, containing six enzyme activities, viz. two glycine bridge splitting enzymes, glycine and Lalanine aminopeptidases, and glycine and D-alanine

Multiple Enzymatic Activities of the Murein Hydrolase from Staphylococcal Phage φ11

“…Staphylococcal peptidoglycan is highly cross-linked (8,11,39,48), and disruption of the cross-bridges appears to be a highly efficient means by which to rapidly hydrolyze the cell wall. It is likely not a coincidence that enzymes whose function is to destroy the murein sacculus, for example lysostaphin and phage hydrolases, have chosen the staphylococcal cross-bridge as their target.…”

Anchor Structure of Staphylococcal Surface Proteins

“…This branched anchor peptide is linked to N-acetylmuramic acid, thereby attaching surface proteins to the glycan chains of the staphylococcal cell wall. We think that surface proteins may be linked to a precursor molecule of peptidoglycan synthesis rather than to the mature, assembled cell wall, because the staphylococcal peptidoglycan is highly cross-linked and has very few free pentaglycine amino groups (11,23,(32)(33)(34). During the biosynthesis of bacterial peptidoglycans, a membrane-bound disaccharide-precursor molecule cytoplasm (35, 36) and translocated across the membrane to serve as a substrate for transglycosylation and Table III for a complete listing of observed ions, proposed structures, and calculated masses.…”

Sortase as a Target of Anti-Infective Therapy

“…In S. aureus, the 30 to 100-nm thick cell wall is composed of the repeating disaccharide N-acetylmuramic acid-(␤1-4)-N-acetylglucosamine (MurNAc-GlcNAc) (Ghuysen and Strominger, 1963;Ghuysen et al, 1965;Dmitriev et al, 2004). MurNAc is amide-linked to alanine of the cell wall tetrapeptide [L-Ala-D-isoGln-L-Lys(NH 2 -Gly 5 )-DAla], which is linked to adjacent strands of tetrapeptide through a pentaglycine cross-bridge ( Fig.…”