Nonclassical transpeptidases of Mycobacterium tuberculosis alter cell size, morphology, the cytosolic matrix, protein localization, virulence, and resistance to β-lactams

J Bacteriol. 2014 Apr;196(7):1394-402. doi: 10.1128/JB.01396-13. Epub 2014 Jan 24.

Abstract

Virtually all bacteria possess a peptidoglycan layer that is essential for their growth and survival. The β-lactams, the most widely used class of antibiotics in human history, inhibit D,D-transpeptidases, which catalyze the final step in peptidoglycan biosynthesis. The existence of a second class of transpeptidases, the L,D-transpeptidases, was recently reported. Mycobacterium tuberculosis, an infectious pathogen that causes tuberculosis (TB), is known to possess as many as five proteins with L,D-transpeptidase activity. Here, for the first time, we demonstrate that loss of L,D-transpeptidases 1 and 2 of M. tuberculosis (LdtMt1 and LdtMt2) alters cell surface morphology, shape, size, organization of the intracellular matrix, sorting of some low-molecular-weight proteins that are targeted to the membrane or secreted, cellular physiology, growth, virulence, and resistance of M. tuberculosis to amoxicillin-clavulanate and vancomycin.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology*
  • Bacterial Proteins / genetics
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism*
  • Cytosol / chemistry
  • Cytosol / metabolism*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis / cytology
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis / drug effects
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis / enzymology*
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis / pathogenicity*
  • Peptidyl Transferases / genetics
  • Peptidyl Transferases / metabolism*
  • Protein Transport
  • Tuberculosis / microbiology*
  • Virulence
  • beta-Lactams / pharmacology*

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Bacterial Proteins
  • beta-Lactams
  • Peptidyl Transferases