title: The penicillin-binding proteins: structure and role in peptidoglycan biosynthesis.
abstract: Penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) have been scrutinized for over 40 years. Recent structural information on PBPs together with the ongoing long-term biochemical experimental investigations, and results from more recent techniques such as protein localization by green fluorescent protein-fusion immunofluorescence or double-hybrid assay, have brought our understanding of the last stages of the peptidoglycan biosynthesis to an outstanding level that allows a broad outlook on the properties of these enzymes. Details are emerging regarding the interaction between the peptidoglycan-synthesizing PBPs and the peptidoglycan, their mesh net-like product that surrounds and protects bacteria. This review focuses on the detailed structure of PBPs and their implication in peptidoglycan synthesis, maturation and recycling. An overview of the content in PBPs of some bacteria is provided with an emphasis on comparing the biochemical properties of homologous PBPs (orthologues) belonging to different bacteria.
authors.affiliation: Centre d'Ingénierie des Protéines, Institut de Physique B5a et Institut de Chimie B6a, University of Liège, Sart Tilman, Belgium. eric.sauvage@ulg.ac.be
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sauvage
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kerff
authors.forename: Mohammed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Terrak
authors.forename: Juan A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Ayala
authors.forename: Paulette
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Charlier
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000378:metabolism; D016695:Glycosyltransferases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D009097:Multienzyme Complexes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000378:metabolism; D046915:Penicillin-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification / Q000378:metabolism*; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D010457:Peptidoglycan / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D046928:Peptidoglycan Glycosyltransferase / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D010458:Peptidyl Transferases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D001618:beta-Lactamases / Q000378:metabolism; D047090:beta-Lactams / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D009097:Multienzyme Complexes; D046915:Penicillin-Binding Proteins; D010457:Peptidoglycan; D047090:beta-Lactams; D010458:Peptidyl Transferases; D016695:Glycosyltransferases; D046928:Peptidoglycan Glycosyltransferase; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases; D001618:beta-Lactamases