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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Copyright © 2005 by the American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.