Unraveling the mechanism of peptidoglycan amidation by the bifunctional enzyme complex GatD/MurT: A comparative structural approach

The bacterial cell wall provides structural integrity to the cell and protects the cell from internal pressure and the external environment. During the course of the twelve-year funding period of the Collaborative Research Center 766, our work has focused on conducting structure-function studies of enzymes that modify (synthesize or cleave) cell wall components of a range of bacteria including Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Nostoc punctiforme. Several of our structures represent promising targets for interference. In this review, we highlight a recent structure-function analysis of an enzyme complex that is responsible for the amidation of Lipid II, a peptidoglycan precursor, in S. aureus.