title: The bacterial cell envelope.
abstract: The bacteria cell envelope is a complex multilayered structure that serves to protect these organisms from their unpredictable and often hostile environment. The cell envelopes of most bacteria fall into one of two major groups. Gram-negative bacteria are surrounded by a thin peptidoglycan cell wall, which itself is surrounded by an outer membrane containing lipopolysaccharide. Gram-positive bacteria lack an outer membrane but are surrounded by layers of peptidoglycan many times thicker than is found in the gram-negatives. Threading through these layers of peptidoglycan are long anionic polymers, called teichoic acids. The composition and organization of these envelope layers and recent insights into the mechanisms of cell envelope assembly are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA. tsilhavy@princeton.edu
authors.forename: Thomas J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Silhavy
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kahne
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Walker
mesh_terms: D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000502:physiology; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000502:physiology*; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000502:physiology*
references.citation: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006 Aug 1;103(31):11754-9
references.pmid: 16861298
references.citation: Chem Rev. 2002 Dec;102(12):4549-80
references.pmid: 12475201
references.citation: FEMS Microbiol Rev. 2008 Mar;32(2):149-67
references.pmid: 18194336
references.citation: Curr Opin Struct Biol. 2004 Dec;14(6):741-7
references.pmid: 15582398
references.citation: J Biol Chem. 1999 Mar 26;274(13):8405-10
references.pmid: 10085071
references.citation: Nature. 2000 Jun 22;405(6789):914-9
references.pmid: 10879525
references.citation: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008 Apr 8;105(14):5537-42
references.pmid: 18375759
references.citation: Eur J Biochem. 1972 Oct 17;30(1):190-4
references.pmid: 5086604
references.citation: Biochim Biophys Acta. 1968 Jan 3;150(1):159-61
references.pmid: 4868245
references.citation: Proteomics. 2009 May;9(9):2432-43
references.pmid: 19343722
references.citation: Curr Opin Microbiol. 2000 Apr;3(2):203-9
references.pmid: 10744997
references.citation: J Biol Chem. 1994 Aug 5;269(31):19701-6
references.pmid: 8051048
references.citation: Nature. 1992 Aug 27;358(6389):727-33
references.pmid: 1380671
references.citation: J Bacteriol. 2008 Aug;190(16):5672-80
references.pmid: 18567661
references.citation: Annu Rev Microbiol. 1969;23:159-98
references.pmid: 4186529
references.citation: Trends Biochem Sci. 2006 Oct;31(10):563-71
references.pmid: 16919958
references.citation: J Bacteriol. 1971 Jan;105(1):384-95
references.pmid: 4993325
references.citation: Cell Mol Life Sci. 2002 Oct;59(10):1617-23
references.pmid: 12475171
references.citation: J Biol Chem. 1990 Jan 25;265(3):1235-8
references.pmid: 2404013
references.citation: J Infect Dis. 2002 Jul 15;186(2):214-9
references.pmid: 12134257
references.citation: J Bacteriol. 2007 Jan;189(1):244-53
references.pmid: 17056748
references.citation: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009 Apr 28;106(17):7173-8
references.pmid: 19342493
references.citation: J Bacteriol. 1994 Dec;176(23):7252-9
references.pmid: 7961496
references.citation: J Biol Chem. 2004 Oct 22;279(43):45102-9
references.pmid: 15304478
references.citation: J Biol Chem. 1977 Nov 10;252(21):7850-61
references.pmid: 334768
references.citation: Annu Rev Microbiol. 2003;57:77-100
references.pmid: 12730325
references.citation: Mol Microbiol. 2006 Jul;61(1):151-64
references.pmid: 16824102
references.citation: Lancet. 1987 Apr 25;1(8539):976
references.pmid: 2882361
references.citation: Nat Rev Microbiol. 2004 Feb;2(2):123-40
references.pmid: 15040260
references.citation: Genes Dev. 2007 Oct 1;21(19):2473-84
references.pmid: 17908933
references.citation: J Biol Chem. 1998 Oct 30;273(44):29143-9
references.pmid: 9786923
references.citation: Tuberculosis (Edinb). 2002;82(2-3):85-90
references.pmid: 12356459
references.citation: J Bacteriol. 2007 Sep;189(18):6512-20
references.pmid: 17586646
references.citation: J Bacteriol. 2008 Jul;190(13):4460-9
references.pmid: 18424520
references.citation: Can J Microbiol. 1976 Jul;22(7):975-82
references.pmid: 822931
references.citation: Mol Microbiol. 1990 Sep;4(9):1603-5
references.pmid: 2287281
references.citation: Biochim Biophys Acta. 1975 Oct 31;415(3):335-77
references.pmid: 52377
references.citation: Annu Rev Biochem. 2008;77:643-67
references.pmid: 18078384
references.citation: Nature. 2007 Nov 29;450(7170):663-9
references.pmid: 18046402
references.citation: Cell. 2005 Apr 22;121(2):235-45
references.pmid: 15851030
references.citation: Adv Microb Physiol. 2006;51:187-224
references.pmid: 17010697
references.citation: Biochemistry. 1976 Jun 15;15(12):2561-70
references.pmid: 820368
references.citation: J Biol Chem. 2004 Sep 17;279(38):39807-13
references.pmid: 15252048
references.citation: EMBO J. 2001 Sep 17;20(18):5033-9
references.pmid: 11566868
references.citation: Cell Mol Life Sci. 2008 Jul;65(14):2138-55
references.pmid: 18408890
references.citation: Microbiol Mol Biol Rev. 2006 Mar;70(1):192-221
references.pmid: 16524923
references.citation: FEMS Microbiol Rev. 2008 Mar;32(2):234-58
references.pmid: 18266856
references.citation: Nature. 2004 Jan 1;427(6969):36-44
references.pmid: 14661030
references.citation: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008 Dec 2;105(48):18953-7
references.pmid: 19033194
references.citation: Microbiol Mol Biol Rev. 2003 Dec;67(4):686-723
references.pmid: 14665680
references.citation: FEBS Lett. 2006 Feb 13;580(4):1164-70
references.pmid: 16288742
references.citation: J Endotoxin Res. 2005;11(6):348-56
references.pmid: 16303090
references.citation: Trends Microbiol. 2003 Apr;11(4):145-8
references.pmid: 12706985
references.citation: Nature. 2006 Sep 14;443(7108):173-9
references.pmid: 16915237
references.citation: Microbiol Mol Biol Rev. 2003 Dec;67(4):593-656
references.pmid: 14665678
references.citation: Cell. 1999 Apr 30;97(3):339-47
references.pmid: 10319814
references.citation: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2004 Jun 22;101(25):9417-22
references.pmid: 15192148
references.citation: J Mol Biol. 2000 Apr 28;298(2):273-82
references.pmid: 10764596
references.citation: J Bacteriol. 1978 Mar;133(3):1419-26
references.pmid: 417067
references.citation: Nat Rev Microbiol. 2008 Mar;6(3):234-44
references.pmid: 18246081
references.citation: Annu Rev Biochem. 2002;71:635-700
references.pmid: 12045108
references.citation: Annu Rev Physiol. 1966;28:435-92
references.pmid: 5322983
references.citation: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009 Mar 24;106(12):4858-63
references.pmid: 19255437
references.citation: BMC Genomics. 2007 Sep 04;8:307
references.pmid: 17784943
references.citation: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008 Mar 11;105(10):3963-7
references.pmid: 18316738
references.citation: EMBO J. 2001 Jan 15;20(1-2):285-94
references.pmid: 11226178
references.citation: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2002 Oct 15;99(21):13560-5
references.pmid: 12357033
references.citation: Nature. 2008 Oct 16;455(7215):936-43
references.pmid: 18923516
references.citation: Mol Microbiol. 1996 Mar;19(6):1287-94
references.pmid: 8730870
references.citation: J Biol Chem. 2000 Jan 21;275(3):1594-600
references.pmid: 10636850
references.citation: Science. 2007 Aug 17;317(5840):961-4
references.pmid: 17702946
references.citation: Nature. 1999 Oct 14;401(6754):717-21
references.pmid: 10537112
references.citation: Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2003 Mar;47(3):837-46
references.pmid: 12604510
references.citation: FEMS Microbiol Rev. 2008 Mar;32(2):287-306
references.pmid: 18070068
references.citation: Science. 1995 Jan 27;267(5197):512-4
references.pmid: 7824948
references.citation: J Biol Chem. 2001 Mar 9;276(10):6998-7003
references.pmid: 11083873
references.citation: J Bacteriol. 2009 Jan;191(1):141-51
references.pmid: 18952789
references.citation: J Biol Chem. 1977 Oct 25;252(20):7405-12
references.pmid: 332696
references.citation: Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2000 Oct;44(10):2845-7
references.pmid: 10991869
references.citation: FEMS Microbiol Lett. 2006 Jan;254(2):198-207
references.pmid: 16445746
references.citation: Science. 1998 Apr 24;280(5363):602-5
references.pmid: 9554854
references.citation: Annu Rev Microbiol. 2006;60:397-423
references.pmid: 16753030
references.citation: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009 Feb 10;106(6):1772-7
references.pmid: 19181847
references.citation: Science. 2004 Feb 20;303(5661):1189-92
references.pmid: 14976314
references.citation: Mol Microbiol. 2002 Sep;45(5):1289-302
references.pmid: 12207697
references.citation: FEBS J. 2005 Mar;272(6):1367-78
references.pmid: 15752354
references.citation: J Biol Chem. 2003 Dec 5;278(49):49316-22
references.pmid: 14506253
references.citation: FEMS Microbiol Rev. 2008 Mar;32(2):307-20
references.pmid: 18266854
references.citation: J Bacteriol. 2001 Dec;183(23):6794-800
references.pmid: 11698367
references.citation: EMBO J. 2008 Oct 22;27(20):2656-68
references.pmid: 18800056
references.citation: J Bacteriol. 2006 May;188(10):3442-8
references.pmid: 16672597
references.citation: J Gen Microbiol. 1968 Oct;53(3):395-404
references.pmid: 4181162
references.citation: Nature. 2008 Jun 12;453(7197):885-90
references.pmid: 18496527
references.citation: Science. 1967 Jun 16;156(3781):1451-5
references.pmid: 4304946
references.citation: J Biol Chem. 1972 Jun 25;247(12):3962-72
references.pmid: 4555955
references.citation: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2007 Apr 10;104(15):6400-5
references.pmid: 17404237