Bacterial peptidoglycan glycosyltransferases (PGT) catalyse the essential polymerization of lipid II into linear glycan chains required for peptidoglycan biosynthesis. The PGT domain is composed of a large head subdomain and a smaller jaw subdomain a ...
Bacterial peptidoglycan glycosyltransferases (PGT) catalyse the essential polymerization of lipid II into linear glycan chains required for peptidoglycan biosynthesis. The PGT domain is composed of a large head subdomain and a smaller jaw subdomain and can be potently inhibited by the antibiotic moenomycin A (MoeA). We present an X-ray structure of the MoeA-bound Staphylococcus aureus monofunctional PGT enzyme, revealing electron density for a second MoeA bound to the jaw subdomain as well as the PGT donor site. Isothermal titration calorimetry confirms two drug-binding sites with markedly different affinities and positive cooperativity. Hydrophobic cluster analysis suggests that the membrane-interacting surface of the jaw subdomain has structural and physicochemical properties similar to amphipathic cationic -helical antimicrobial peptides for lipid II recognition and binding. Furthermore, molecular dynamics simulations of the drug-free and -bound forms of the enzyme demonstrate the importance of the jaw subdomain movement for lipid II selection and polymerization process and provide molecular-level insights into the mechanism of peptidoglycan biosynthesis by PGTs.
Related Citations:
Characterization of the active site of S. aureus monofunctional glycosyltransferase (Mtg) by site-directed mutation and structural analysis of the protein complexed with moenomycin. Heaslet, H.,Shaw, B.,Mistry, A.,Miller, A.A. (2009) J Struct Biol. 167: 129
Organizational Affiliation:
School of Chemistry, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom.,School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Leicestershire LE12 5RD, United Kingdom.,School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, United Kingdom.,ISIS Neutron and Muon Spallation Source and Research Complex at Harwell, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom.
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