title: The nature of Staphylococcus aureus MurA and MurZ and approaches for detection of peptidoglycan biosynthesis inhibitors.
abstract: Staphylococcus aureus and a number of other Gram-positive organisms harbour two genes (murA and murZ) encoding UDP-N-acetylglucosamine enolpyruvyl transferase activity for catalysing the first committed step of peptidoglycan biosynthesis. We independently inactivated murA and murZ in S. aureus and established that either can sustain viability. Purification and characterization of the MurA and MurZ enzymes indicated that they are biochemically similar in vitro, consistent with similar overall structures predicted for the isozymes by molecular modelling. Nevertheless, MurA appears to be the primary enzyme utilized in the staphylococcal cell. Accordingly, murA expression was approximately five times greater than murZ expression during exponential growth, and the peptidoglycan content of S. aureus was reduced by approximately 25% following inactivation of murA, but remained almost unchanged following inactivation of murZ. Despite low level expression during normal growth, murZ expression was strongly induced (up to sixfold) following exposure to inhibitors of peptidoglycan biosynthesis, which was not observed for murA. Strains generated in this study were validated as potential tools for identifying novel anti-staphylococcal agents targeting peptidoglycan biosynthesis using known inhibitors of the pathway.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Antimicrobial Research Centre, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
authors.forename: Katy L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Blake
authors.forename: Alex J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: O'Neill
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mengin-Lecreulx
authors.forename: Peter J F
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Henderson
authors.forename: Julieanne M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Bostock
authors.forename: Colin J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Dunsmore
authors.forename: Katie J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Simmons
authors.forename: Colin W G
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Fishwick
authors.forename: Jennifer A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Leeds
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Chopra
mesh_terms: D019883:Alkyl and Aryl Transferases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D005578:Fosfomycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D008958:Models, Molecular; D010457:Peptidoglycan / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D017384:Sequence Deletion; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D010457:Peptidoglycan; D005578:Fosfomycin; D019883:Alkyl and Aryl Transferases; C022566:UDP-N-acetylglucosamine 1-carboxyvinyltransferase