undecaprenyl-phosphate and undecaprenol

The biosynthesis of bacterial cell wall peptidoglycan is a complex process involving many different steps taking place in the cytoplasm (synthesis of the nucleotide precursors) and on the inner and outer sides of the cytoplasmic membrane (assembly and polymerization of the disaccharide-peptide monomer unit, respectively). This review summarizes the current knowledge on the membrane steps leading to the formation of the lipid II intermediate, i.e. the substrate of the polymerization reactions. It makes the point on past and recent data that have significantly contributed to the understanding of the biosynthesis of undecaprenyl phosphate, the carrier lipid required for the anchoring of the peptidoglycan hydrophilic units in the membrane, and to the characterization of the MraY and MurG enzymes which catalyze the successive transfers of the N-acetylmuramoyl-peptide and N-acetylglucosamine moieties onto the carrier lipid, respectively. Enzyme inhibitors and antibacterial compounds interfering with these essential metabolic steps and interesting targets are presented.

Topics: Bacteria; Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; Bacterial Proteins; Kinetics; Lipids; Monosaccharides; N-Acetylglucosaminyltransferases; Oligopeptides; Peptidoglycan; Polyisoprenyl Phosphates; Substrate Specificity; Terpenes; Transferases; Transferases (Other Substituted Phosphate Groups); Uridine Diphosphate N-Acetylmuramic Acid

Undecaprenyl phosphate is the essential lipid involved in the transport of hydrophilic motifs across the bacterial membranes during the synthesis of cell wall polymers such as peptidoglycan. A HPLC procedure was developed for the quantification of undecaprenyl phosphate and its two derivatives, undecaprenyl pyrophosphate and undecaprenol. During the exponential growth phase, the pools of undecaprenyl phosphate and undecaprenyl pyrophosphate were ca. 75 and 270 nmol/g of cell dry weight, respectively, in Escherichia coli, and ca. 50 and 150 nmol/g, respectively, in Staphylococcus aureus. Undecaprenol was detected in S. aureus (70 nmol/g), but not in E. coli (<1 nmol/g).

Topics: Cell Membrane; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Escherichia coli; Membrane Lipids; Polyisoprenyl Phosphates; Staphylococcus aureus; Terpenes