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Characterization of putative DD-carboxypeptidase-encoding genes in Mycobacterium smegmatis
- Source :
- Scientific Reports, Scientific Reports, Vol 9, Iss 1, Pp 1-11 (2019)
- Publication Year :
- 2015
-
Abstract
- Penicillin binding proteins (PBPs) are the target of numerous antimicrobial agents that disrupt bacterial cell wall synthesis. In mycobacteria, cell elongation occurs through insertion of nascent cell wall material in the sub-polar region, a process largely driven by High Molecular Weight PBPs. In contrast, the function of DD-carboxypeptidases (DD-CPases), which are Low Molecular Weight Class 1C PBPs, in mycobacteria remains poorly understood. Mycobacterium smegmatis encodes four putative DD-CPase homologues, which display homology to counterparts in Escherichia coli. Herein, we demonstrate that these are expressed in varying abundance during growth. Deletion of MSMEG_1661, MSMEG_2433 or MSMEG_2432, individually resulted in no defects in growth, cell morphology, drug susceptibility or spatial incorporation of new peptidoglycan. In contrast, deletion of MSMEG_6113 (dacB) was only possible in a merodiploid strain expressing the homologous M. tuberculosis operon encoding Rv3627c (dacB), Rv3626c, Rv3625c (mesJ) and Rv3624c (hpt), suggestive of essentiality. To investigate the role of this operon in mycobacterial growth, we depleted gene expression using anhydrotetracycline-responsive repressors and noted reduced bipolar peptidoglycan synthesis. These data point to a possible role for this four gene operon, which is highly conserved across all mycobacterial species, in regulating spatial localization of peptidoglycan synthesis.
- Subjects :
- 0301 basic medicine
Penicillin binding proteins
Operon
Mycobacterium smegmatis
lcsh:Medicine
Carboxypeptidases
Peptidoglycan
medicine.disease_cause
Cell morphology
Homology (biology)
Article
Cell wall
03 medical and health sciences
chemistry.chemical_compound
0302 clinical medicine
Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
medicine
lcsh:Science
Promoter Regions, Genetic
Escherichia coli
Multidisciplinary
biology
lcsh:R
Computational Biology
biology.organism_classification
Cell biology
030104 developmental biology
chemistry
Genes, Bacterial
Multigene Family
lcsh:Q
030217 neurology & neurosurgery
Gene Deletion
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 20452322
- Volume :
- 9
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Scientific reports
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....96b91af7733f6dfdae34cab4892f1397