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Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews, December 2005, p. 585-607, Vol. 69, No. 4
1092-2172/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/MMBR.69.4.585-607.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Bacterial Cell Wall Synthesis: New Insights from Localization Studies

Dirk-Jan Scheffers1* and Mariana G. Pinho2*

Department of Molecular Microbiology, Institute of Molecular Cell Biology, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands,1 Microbial Pathogenesis and Cell Biology Laboratory, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Oeiras, Portugal2

In order to maintain shape and withstand intracellular pressure, most bacteria are surrounded by a cell wall that consists mainly of the cross-linked polymer peptidoglycan (PG). The importance of PG for the maintenance of bacterial cell shape is underscored by the fact that, for various bacteria, several mutations affecting PG synthesis are associated with cell shape defects. In recent years, the application of fluorescence microscopy to the field of PG synthesis has led to an enormous increase in data on the relationship between cell wall synthesis and bacterial cell shape. First, a novel staining method enabled the visualization of PG precursor incorporation in live cells. Second, penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs), which mediate the final stages of PG synthesis, have been localized in various model organisms by means of immunofluorescence microscopy or green fluorescent protein fusions. In this review, we integrate the knowledge on the last stages of PG synthesis obtained in previous studies with the new data available on localization of PG synthesis and PBPs, in both rod-shaped and coccoid cells. We discuss a model in which, at least for a subset of PBPs, the presence of substrate is a major factor in determining PBP localization.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address for Dirk-Jan Scheffers: Department of Molecular Microbiology, Institute of Molecular Cell Biology, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Phone: 31 20 5986248. Fax: 31 20 5986979. E-mail: dirk-jan.scheffers{at}falw.vu.nl. Mailing address for Mariana G. Pinho: Microbial Pathogenesis and Cell Biology Laboratory, Instituto de Technologia Química e Biológica, Avenida da República (EAN), 2781-901, Oeiras, Portugal. Phone: 351 21 4469541. E-mail: mgpinho{at}itqb.unl.pt.

Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews, December 2005, p. 585-607, Vol. 69, No. 4
1092-2172/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/MMBR.69.4.585-607.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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