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Bacterial cell wall

-lactam
antibiotics
inhibit
transpeptidases
enzymes that
form these
crosslinkages

Glycopeptides
bind D-alanine
and prevent
crosslinkage

The Gram positive cell wall is characterized by the presence of a very thick peptidoglycan layer,
the Gram negative cell wall contains a thin peptidoglycan layer
Peptidoglycan layer in the bacterial cell wall is formed from linear chains of two alternating amino
sugars, namely N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc or NAG) and N-acetylmuramic acid (MurNAc or

The transpeptidation reaction in


Staphylococcus aureus that is inhibited by
-lactam antibiotics.
The cell wall of gram-positive bacteria is
made up of long peptidoglycan polymer
chains consisting of the alternating
aminohexoses N-acetylglucosamine (G)
and N-acetylmuramic acid (M) with
pentapeptide side chains linked (in S
aureus) by pentaglycine bridges.
The exact composition of the side chains
varies among species.
The diagram illustrates small segments of
two such polymer chains and their amino
acid side chains.
These linear polymers must be crosslinked by transpeptidation of the side chains
at the points indicated by the asterisk to
achieve the strength necessary for cell

The biosynthesis of cell wall peptidoglycan, showing the sites of action of five antibiotics
(shaded bars; 1 = fosfomycin, 2 = cycloserine, 3 = bacitracin, 4 = vancomycin, 5 =
-lactam antibiotics). Bactoprenol (BP) is the lipid membrane carrier that transports
building blocks across the cytoplasmic membrane; M, N-acetylmuramic acid; Glc,
glucose; NAcGlc or G, N-acetylglucosamine.

A schematic of peptidoglycans structure. The NAM and NAG


sugars are shown as green and blue spheres respectively. The
tetrapeptides linked to NAM are cross-linked by a pentaglycine
peptide, shown as red lines linking the D-glutamine (L) to the Dalanine (A).

Glycopeptides
bind D-alanine
and prevent
crosslinkage

-lactam
antibiotics
inhibit
transpeptidases
enzymes that
form these
crosslinkages

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