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Title: Structure and mutagenic analysis of the lipid II flippase MurJ from Escherichia coli

Journal Article · · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

The peptidoglycan cell wall provides an essential protective barrier in almost all bacteria, defining cellular morphology and conferring resistance to osmotic stress and other environmental hazards. The precursor to peptidoglycan, lipid II, is assembled on the inner leaflet of the plasma membrane. However, peptidoglycan polymerization occurs on the outer face of the plasma membrane, and lipid II must be flipped across the membrane by the MurJ protein before its use in peptidoglycan synthesis. Due to its central role in cell wall assembly, MurJ is of fundamental importance in microbial cell biology and is a prime target for novel antibiotic development. However, relatively little is known regarding the mechanisms of MurJ function, and structural data for MurJ are available only from the extremophile Thermosipho africanus. Here, we report the crystal structure of substrate-free MurJ from the gram-negative model organism Escherichia coli, revealing an inward-open conformation. Taking advantage of the genetic tractability of E. coli, we performed high-throughput mutagenesis and next-generation sequencing to assess mutational tolerance at every amino acid in the protein, providing a detailed functional and structural map for the enzyme and identifying sites for inhibitor development. Finally, through the use of sequence coevolution analysis, we identify functionally important interactions in the outward-open state of the protein, supporting a rocker-switch model for lipid II transport.

Research Organization:
Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
National Institutes of Health (NIH); Center of Excellence for Translational Research (CETR)
Grant/Contract Number:
R01GM106303; U19AI109764; R01GM066174; R01GM076710.
OSTI ID:
1462566
Journal Information:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Vol. 115, Issue 26; ISSN 0027-8424
Publisher:
National Academy of SciencesCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
ENGLISH
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 34 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (12)

Genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic insights into the symbiosis of deep-sea tubeworm holobionts journal October 2019
Visualizing conformation transitions of the Lipid II flippase MurJ journal April 2019
The bacterial lipid II flippase MurJ functions by an alternating-access mechanism journal November 2018
A Mass‐Spectrometry‐Based Approach to Distinguish Annular and Specific Lipid Binding to Membrane Proteins journal January 2020
Cancer-associated mutations in DICER1 RNase IIIa and IIIb domains exert similar effects on miRNA biogenesis journal August 2019
Bioinformatics analysis of diversity in bacterial glycan chain-termination chemistry and organization of carbohydrate-binding modules linked to ABC transporters journal May 2019
Cell wall peptidoglycan in Mycobacterium tuberculosis: An Achilles’ heel for the TB-causing pathogen journal June 2019
Structural basis for the coordination of cell division with the synthesis of the bacterial cell envelope journal September 2019
A Mass‐Spectrometry‐Based Approach to Distinguish Annular and Specific Lipid Binding to Membrane Proteins journal January 2020
Phage single-gene lysis: Finding the weak spot in the bacterial cell wall journal November 2018
GtcA is required for LTA glycosylation in Listeria monocytogenes serovar 1/2a and Bacillus subtilis text January 2020
GtcA is required for LTA glycosylation in Listeria monocytogenes serovar 1/2a and Bacillus subtilis journal December 2020

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