Function and Localization Dynamics of Bifunctional Penicillin-Binding Proteins in Caulobacter crescentus

The peptidoglycan cell wall of bacteria is a complex macromolecule composed of glycan strands that are cross-linked by short peptide bridges. Its biosynthesis involves a conserved group of enzymes, the bifunctional penicillin-binding proteins (bPBPs), which contain both a transglycosylase and a transpeptidase domain, thus being able to elongate the glycan strands and, at the same time, generate the peptide cross-links. The stalked model bacterium Caulobacter crescentus possesses five bPBP paralogs, named Pbp1A, PbpC, PbpX, PbpY, and PbpZ, whose function is still incompletely understood. In this study, we show that any of these proteins except for PbpZ is sufficient for growth and normal morphogenesis when expressed at native or elevated levels, whereas inactivation of all five paralogs is lethal. Growth analyses indicate a central role of PbpX in the resistance of C. crescentus against the noncanonical amino acid d-alanine. Moreover, we show that PbpX and PbpY localize to the cell division site. Their recruitment to the divisome is dependent on the essential cell division protein FtsN and likely involves interactions with FtsL and the putative peptidoglycan hydrolase DipM. The same interaction pattern is observed for Pbp1A and PbpC, although these proteins do not accumulate at midcell. Our findings demonstrate that the bPBPs of C. crescentus are, to a large extent, redundant and have retained the ability to interact with the peptidoglycan biosynthetic machineries responsible for cell elongation, cytokinesis, and stalk growth. Nevertheless, they may preferentially act in specific peptidoglycan biosynthetic complexes, thereby facilitating the independent regulation of distinct growth processes.     

Effects of Low PBP2b Levels on Cell Morphology and Peptidoglycan Composition in Streptococcus pneumoniae R6

Streptococcus pneumoniae produces two class B penicillin-binding proteins, PBP2x and PBP2b, both of which are essential. It is generally assumed that PBP2x is specifically involved in septum formation, while PBP2b is dedicated to peripheral cell wall synthesis. However, little experimental evidence exists to substantiate this belief. In the present study, we obtained evidence that strongly supports the view that PBP2b is essential for peripheral peptidoglycan synthesis. Depletion of PBP2b expression gave rise to long chains of cells in which individual cells were compressed in the direction of the long axis and looked lentil shaped. This morphological change is consistent with a role for pneumococcal PBP2b in the synthesis of the lateral cell wall. Depletion of PBP2x, on the other hand, resulted in lemon-shaped and some elongated cells with a thickened midcell region. Low PBP2b levels gave rise to changes in the peptidoglycan layer that made pneumococci sensitive to exogenously added LytA during logarithmic growth and refractory to chain dispersion upon addition of LytB. Interestingly, analysis of the cell wall composition of PBP2b-depleted pneumococci revealed that they had a larger proportion of branched stem peptides in their peptidoglycan than the corresponding undepleted cells. Furthermore, MurM-deficient mutants, i.e., mutants lacking the ability to synthesize branched muropeptides, were found to require much higher levels of PBP2b to sustain growth than those required by MurM-proficient strains. These findings might help to explain why increased incorporation of branched muropeptides is required for high-level beta-lactam resistance in S. pneumoniae.     

The monofunctional glycosyltransferase of Escherichia coli localizes to the cell division site and interacts with penicillin-binding protein 3, FtsW, and FtsN

The monofunctional peptidoglycan glycosyltransferase (MtgA) catalyzes glycan chain elongation of the bacterial cell wall. Here we show that MtgA localizes at the division site of Escherichia coli cells that are deficient in PBP1b and produce a thermosensitive PBP1a and is able to interact with three constituents of the divisome, PBP3, FtsW, and FtsN, suggesting that MtgA may play a role in peptidoglycan assembly during the cell cycle in collaboration with other proteins.     

Peptidoglycan synthesis in the absence of class A penicillin-binding proteins in Bacillus subtilis

Penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) catalyze the final, essential reactions of peptidoglycan synthesis. Three classes of PBPs catalyze either trans-, endo-, or carboxypeptidase activities on the peptidoglycan peptide side chains. Only the class A high-molecular-weight PBPs have clearly demonstrated glycosyltransferase activities that polymerize the glycan strands, and in some species these proteins have been shown to be essential. The Bacillus subtilis genome sequence contains four genes encoding class A PBPs and no other genes with similarity to their glycosyltransferase domain. A strain lacking all four class A PBPs has been constructed and produces a peptidoglycan wall with only small structural differences from that of the wild type. The growth rate of the quadruple mutant is much lower than those of strains lacking only three of the class A PBPs, and increases in cell length and frequencies of wall abnormalities were noticeable. The viability and wall production of the quadruple-mutant strain indicate that a novel enzyme can perform the glycosyltransferase activity required for peptidoglycan synthesis. This activity was demonstrated in vitro and shown to be sensitive to the glycosyltransferase inhibitor moenomycin. In contrast, the quadruple-mutant strain was resistant to moenomycin in vivo. Exposure of the wild-type strain to moenomycin resulted in production of a phenotype similar to that of the quadruple mutant.     

Reduction of the Peptidoglycan Crosslinking Causes a Decrease in Stiffness of the Staphylococcus aureus Cell Envelope

We have used atomic-force microscopy (AFM) to probe the effect of peptidoglycan crosslinking reduction on the elasticity of the Staphylococcus aureus cell wall, which is of particular interest as a target for antimicrobial chemotherapy. Penicillin-binding protein 4 (PBP4) is a nonessential transpeptidase, required for the high levels of peptidoglycan crosslinking characteristic of S. aureus. Importantly, this protein is essential for β-lactam resistance in community-acquired, methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strains but not in hospital-acquired MRSA strains. Using AFM in a new mode for recording force/distance curves, we observed that the absence of PBP4, and the concomitant reduction of the peptidoglycan crosslinking, resulted in a reduction in stiffness of the S. aureus cell wall. Importantly, the reduction in cell wall stiffness in the absence of PBP4 was observed both in community-acquired and hospital-acquired MRSA strains, indicating that high levels of peptidoglycan crosslinking modulate the overall structure and mechanical properties of the S. aureus cell envelope in both types of clinically relevant strains. Additionally, we were able to show that the applied method enables the separation of cell wall properties and turgor pressure.     

Interaction and Modulation of Two Antagonistic Cell Wall Enzymes of Mycobacteria

Bacterial cell growth and division require coordinated cell wall hydrolysis and synthesis, allowing for the removal and expansion of cell wall material. Without proper coordination, unchecked hydrolysis can result in cell lysis. How these opposing activities are simultaneously regulated is poorly understood. In Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the resuscitation-promoting factor B (RpfB), a lytic transglycosylase, interacts and synergizes with Rpf-interacting protein A (RipA), an endopeptidase, to hydrolyze peptidoglycan. However, it remains unclear what governs this synergy and how it is coordinated with cell wall synthesis. Here we identify the bifunctional peptidoglycan-synthesizing enzyme, penicillin binding protein 1 (PBP1), as a RipA-interacting protein. PBP1, like RipA, localizes both at the poles and septa of dividing cells. Depletion of the ponA1 gene, encoding PBP1 in M. smegmatis, results in a severe growth defect and abnormally shaped cells, indicating that PBP1 is necessary for viability and cell wall stability. Finally, PBP1 inhibits the synergistic hydrolysis of peptidoglycan by the RipA-RpfB complex in vitro. These data reveal a post-translational mechanism for regulating cell wall hydrolysis and synthesis through protein–protein interactions between enzymes with antagonistic functions.     

Reduction of the Peptidoglycan Crosslinking Causes a Decrease in Stiffness of the Staphylococcus aureus Cell Envelope

We have used atomic-force microscopy (AFM) to probe the effect of peptidoglycan crosslinking reduction on the elasticity of the Staphylococcus aureus cell wall, which is of particular interest as a target for antimicrobial chemotherapy. Penicillin-binding protein 4 (PBP4) is a nonessential transpeptidase, required for the high levels of peptidoglycan crosslinking characteristic of S. aureus. Importantly, this protein is essential for β-lactam resistance in community-acquired, methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strains but not in hospital-acquired MRSA strains. Using AFM in a new mode for recording force/distance curves, we observed that the absence of PBP4, and the concomitant reduction of the peptidoglycan crosslinking, resulted in a reduction in stiffness of the S. aureus cell wall. Importantly, the reduction in cell wall stiffness in the absence of PBP4 was observed both in community-acquired and hospital-acquired MRSA strains, indicating that high levels of peptidoglycan crosslinking modulate the overall structure and mechanical properties of the S. aureus cell envelope in both types of clinically relevant strains. Additionally, we were able to show that the applied method enables the separation of cell wall properties and turgor pressure.     

MreC and MreD balance the interaction between the elongasome proteins PBP2 and RodA

Rod-shape of most bacteria is maintained by the elongasome, which mediates the synthesis and insertion of peptidoglycan into the cylindrical part of the cell wall. The elongasome contains several essential proteins, such as RodA, PBP2, and the MreBCD proteins, but how its activities are regulated remains poorly understood. Using E. coli as a model system, we investigated the interactions between core elongasome proteins in vivo. Our results show that PBP2 and RodA form a complex mediated by their transmembrane and periplasmic parts and independent of their catalytic activity. MreC and MreD also interact directly with PBP2. MreC elicits a change in the interaction between PBP2 and RodA, which is suppressed by MreD. The cytoplasmic domain of PBP2 is required for this suppression. We hypothesize that the in vivo measured PBP2-RodA interaction change induced by MreC corresponds to the conformational change in PBP2 as observed in the MreC-PBP2 crystal structure, which was suggested to be the “on state” of PBP2. Our results indicate that the balance between MreC and MreD determines the activity of PBP2, which could open new strategies for antibiotic drug development.     

Characterization of the bifunctional glycosyltransferase/acyltransferase penicillin-binding protein 4 of Listeria monocytogenes

Multimodular penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) are essential enzymes responsible for bacterial cell wall peptidoglycan (PG) assembly. Their glycosyltransferase activity catalyzes glycan chain elongation from lipid II substrate (undecaprenyl-pyrophosphoryl-N-acetylglucosamine-N-acetylmuramic acid-pentapeptide), and their transpeptidase activity catalyzes cross-linking between peptides carried by two adjacent glycan chains. Listeria monocytogenes is a food-borne pathogen which exerts its virulence through secreted and cell wall PG-associated virulence factors. This bacterium has five PBPs, including two bifunctional glycosyltransferase/transpeptidase class A PBPs, namely, PBP1 and PBP4. We have expressed and purified the latter and have shown that it binds penicillin and catalyzes in vitro glycan chain polymerization with an efficiency of 1,400 M(-1) s(-1) from Escherichia coli lipid II substrate. PBP4 also catalyzes the aminolysis (d-Ala as acceptor) and hydrolysis of the thiolester donor substrate benzoyl-Gly-thioglycolate, indicating that PBP4 possesses both transpeptidase and carboxypeptidase activities. Disruption of the gene lmo2229 encoding PBP4 in L. monocytogenes EGD did not have any significant effect on growth rate, peptidoglycan composition, cell morphology, or sensitivity to beta-lactam antibiotics but did increase the resistance of the mutant to moenomycin.     

Construction of a Library of Human Glycosyltransferases Immobilized in the Cell Wall of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Fifty-one human glycosyltransferases were expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae as immobilized enzymes and were assayed for enzymatic activities. The stem and catalytic regions of sialyl-, fucosyl-, galactosyl-, N-acetylgalactosaminyl-, and N-acetylglucosaminyltransferases were fused with yeast cell wall Pir proteins, which anchor glycosyltransferases at the yeast cell wall glucan. More than 75% of expressed recombinant glycosyltransferases retained their enzymatic activities in the yeast cell wall fraction and will be used as a human glycosyltransferase library. In increasing the enzymatic activities of immobilized glycosyltransferases, several approaches were found to be effective. Additional expression of yeast protein disulfide isomerase increased the expression levels and activities of polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferases and other glycosyltransferases. PIR3 and/or PIR4 was more effective than PIR1 as a cell wall anchor when the Pir-glycosyltransferase fusions were expressed under the control of the constitutive glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase promoter. Oligosaccharides such as Lewis x, Lewis y, and H antigen were successfully synthesized using this immobilized glycosyltransferase library, indicating that the Pir-fused glycosyltransferases are useful for the production of various human oligosaccharides.     

Interplay of the Serine/Threonine-Kinase StkP and the Paralogs DivIVA and GpsB in Pneumococcal Cell Elongation and Division

Despite years of intensive research, much remains to be discovered to understand the regulatory networks coordinating bacterial cell growth and division. The mechanisms by which Streptococcus pneumoniae achieves its characteristic ellipsoid-cell shape remain largely unknown. In this study, we analyzed the interplay of the cell division paralogs DivIVA and GpsB with the ser/thr kinase StkP. We observed that the deletion of divIVA hindered cell elongation and resulted in cell shortening and rounding. By contrast, the absence of GpsB resulted in hampered cell division and triggered cell elongation. Remarkably, ΔgpsB elongated cells exhibited a helical FtsZ pattern instead of a Z-ring, accompanied by helical patterns for DivIVA and peptidoglycan synthesis. Strikingly, divIVA deletion suppressed the elongated phenotype of ΔgpsB cells. These data suggest that DivIVA promotes cell elongation and that GpsB counteracts it. Analysis of protein-protein interactions revealed that GpsB and DivIVA do not interact with FtsZ but with the cell division protein EzrA, which itself interacts with FtsZ. In addition, GpsB interacts directly with DivIVA. These results are consistent with DivIVA and GpsB acting as a molecular switch to orchestrate peripheral and septal PG synthesis and connecting them with the Z-ring via EzrA. The cellular co-localization of the transpeptidases PBP2x and PBP2b as well as the lipid-flippases FtsW and RodA in ΔgpsB cells further suggest the existence of a single large PG assembly complex. Finally, we show that GpsB is required for septal localization and kinase activity of StkP, and therefore for StkP-dependent phosphorylation of DivIVA. Altogether, we propose that the StkP/DivIVA/GpsB triad finely tunes the two modes of peptidoglycan (peripheral and septal) synthesis responsible for the pneumococcal ellipsoid cell shape.     

Colocalization and interaction between elongasome and divisome during a preparative cell division phase in Escherichia coli

The rod‐shaped bacterium Escherichia coli grows by insertion of peptidoglycan into the lateral wall during cell elongation and synthesis of new poles during cell division. The monofunctional transpeptidases PBP2 and PBP3 are part of specialized protein complexes called elongasome and divisome, respectively, which catalyse peptidoglycan extension and maturation. Endogenous immunolabelled PBP2 localized in the cylindrical part of the cell as well as transiently at midcell. Using the novel image analysis tool Coli‐Inspector to analyse protein localization as function of the bacterial cell age, we compared PBP2 localization with that of other E. coli cell elongation and division proteins including PBP3. Interestingly, the midcell localization of the two transpeptidases overlaps in time during the early period of divisome maturation. Försters Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) experiments revealed an interaction between PBP2 and PBP3 when both are present at midcell. A decrease in the midcell diameter is visible after 40% of the division cycle indicating that the onset of new cell pole synthesis starts much earlier than previously identified by visual inspection. The data support a new model of the division cycle in which the elongasome and divisome interact to prepare for cell division.     

Discrete and overlapping functions of peptidoglycan synthases in growth,cell division and virulence of Listeria monocytogenes

Upon ingestion of contaminated food, Listeria monocytogenes can cause serious infections in humans that are normally treated with β‐lactam antibiotics. These target Listeria's five high molecular weight penicillin‐binding proteins (HMW PBPs), which are required for peptidoglycan biosynthesis. The two bi‐functional class A HMW PBPs PBP A1 and PBP A2 have transglycosylase and transpeptidase domains catalyzing glycan chain polymerization and peptide cross‐linking, respectively, whereas the three class B HMW PBPs B1, B2 and B3 are monofunctional transpeptidases. The precise roles of these PBPs in the cell cycle are unknown. Here we show that green fluorescent protein (GFP)‐PBP fusions localized either at the septum, the lateral wall or both, suggesting distinct and overlapping functions. Genetic data confirmed this view: PBP A1 and PBP A2 could not be inactivated simultaneously, and a conditional double mutant strain is largely inducer dependent. PBP B1 is required for rod‐shape and PBP B2 for cross‐wall biosynthesis and viability, whereas PBP B3 is dispensable for growth and cell division. PBP B1 depletion dramatically increased β‐lactam susceptibilities and stimulated spontaneous autolysis but had no effect on peptidoglycan cross‐linkage. Our in vitro virulence assays indicated that the complete set of all HMW PBPs is required for maximal virulence.     

Eliminating a Set of Four Penicillin Binding Proteins Triggers the Rcs Phosphorelay and Cpx Stress Responses in Escherichia coli

Penicillin binding proteins (PBPs) are responsible for synthesizing and modifying the bacterial cell wall, and in Escherichia coli the loss of several nonessential low-molecular-weight PBPs gives rise to abnormalities in cell shape and division. To determine whether these proteins help connect the flagellar basal body to the peptidoglycan wall, we surveyed a set of PBP mutants and found that motility in an agar migration assay was compromised by the simultaneous absence of four enzymes: PBP4, PBP5, PBP7, and AmpH. A wild-type copy of any one of these restored migration, and complementation depended on the integrity of the PBP active-site serine. However, the migration defect was caused by the absence of flagella instead of improper flagellar assembly. Migration was restored if the flhDC genes were overexpressed or if the rcsB or cpxR genes were deleted. Thus, migration was inhibited because the Rcs and Cpx stress response systems were induced in the absence of these four specific PBPs. Furthermore, in this situation Rcs induction depended on the presence of CpxR. The results imply that small changes in peptidoglycan structure are sufficient to activate these stress responses, suggesting that a specific cell wall fragment may be the signal being sensed. The fact that four PBPs must be inactivated may explain why large perturbations to the envelope are required to induce stress responses.     

Site-Directed Mutagenesis of IRX9, IRX9L and IRX14 Proteins Involved in Xylan Biosynthesis: Glycosyltransferase Activity Is Not Required for IRX9 Function in Arabidopsis

Xylans constitute the main non-cellulosic polysaccharide in the secondary cell walls of plants. Several genes predicted to encode glycosyltransferases are required for the synthesis of the xylan backbone even though it is a homopolymer consisting entirely of β-1,4-linked xylose residues. The putative glycosyltransferases IRX9, IRX14, and IRX10 (or the paralogs IRX9L, IRX14L, and IRX10L) are required for xylan backbone synthesis in Arabidopsis. To investigate the function of IRX9, IRX9L, and IRX14, we identified amino acid residues known to be essential for catalytic function in homologous mammalian proteins and generated modified cDNA clones encoding proteins where these residues would be mutated. The mutated gene constructs were used to transform wild-type Arabidopsis plants and the irx9 and irx14 mutants, which are deficient in xylan synthesis. The ability of the mutated proteins to complement the mutants was investigated by measuring growth, determining cell wall composition, and microscopic analysis of stem cross-sections of the transgenic plants. The six different mutated versions of IRX9 and IRX9-L were all able to complement the irx9 mutant phenotype, indicating that residues known to be essential for glycosyltransferases function in homologous proteins are not essential for the biological function of IRX9/IRX9L. Two out of three mutated IRX14 complemented the irx14 mutant, including a mutant in the predicted catalytic amino acid. A IRX14 protein mutated in the substrate-binding DxD motif did not complement the irx14 mutant. Thus, substrate binding is important for IRX14 function but catalytic activity may not be essential for the function of the protein. The data indicate that IRX9/IRX9L have an essential structural function, most likely by interacting with the IRX10/IRX10L proteins, but do not have an essential catalytic function. Most likely IRX14 also has primarily a structural role, but it cannot be excluded that the protein has an important enzymatic activity.     

Differentiated roles for MreB‐actin isologues and autolytic enzymes in Bacillus subtilis morphogenesis

Cell morphogenesis in most bacteria is governed by spatiotemporal growth regulation of the peptidoglycan cell wall layer. Much is known about peptidoglycan synthesis but regulation of its turnover by hydrolytic enzymes is much less well understood. Bacillus subtilis has a multitude of such enzymes. Two of the best characterized are CwlO and LytE: cells lacking both enzymes have a lethal block in cell elongation. Here we show that activity of CwlO is regulated by an ABC transporter, FtsEX, which is required for cell elongation, unlike cell division as in Escherichia coli. Actin‐like MreB proteins are thought to play a key role in orchestrating cell wall morphogenesis. B. subtilis has three MreB isologues with partially differentiated functions. We now show that the three MreB isologues have differential roles in regulation of the CwlO and LytE systems and that autolysins control different aspects of cell morphogenesis. The results add major autolytic activities to the growing list of functions controlled by MreB isologues in bacteria and provide new insights into the different specialized functions of essential cell wall autolysins.     

The bacterial cell division protein fragment EFtsN binds to and activates the major peptidoglycan synthase PBP1b

Peptidoglycan (PG) is an essential constituent of the bacterial cell wall. During cell division, the machinery responsible for PG synthesis localizes mid-cell, at the septum, under the control of a multiprotein complex called the divisome. In Escherichia coli, septal PG synthesis and cell constriction rely on the accumulation of FtsN at the division site. Interestingly, a short sequence of FtsN (Leu⁷⁵–Gln⁹³, known as ^EFtsN) was shown to be essential and sufficient for its functioning in vivo, but what exactly this sequence is doing remained unknown. Here, we show that ^EFtsN binds specifically to the major PG synthase PBP1b and is sufficient to stimulate its biosynthetic glycosyltransferase (GTase) activity. We also report the crystal structure of PBP1b in complex with ^EFtsN, which demonstrates that ^EFtsN binds at the junction between the GTase and UB2H domains of PBP1b. Interestingly, mutations to two residues (R141A/R397A) within the ^EFtsN-binding pocket reduced the activation of PBP1b by FtsN but not by the lipoprotein LpoB. This mutant was unable to rescue the ΔponB-ponA^ts strain, which lacks PBP1b and has a thermosensitive PBP1a, at nonpermissive temperature and induced a mild cell-chaining phenotype and cell lysis. Altogether, the results show that ^EFtsN interacts with PBP1b and that this interaction plays a role in the activation of its GTase activity by FtsN, which may contribute to the overall septal PG synthesis and regulation during cell division.     

Identification of pneumococcal proteins that are functionally linked to penicillin‐binding protein 2b (PBP2b)

The oval shape of pneumococci results from a combination of septal and lateral peptidoglycan synthesis. The septal cross‐wall is synthesized by the divisome, while the elongasome drives cell elongation by inserting new peptidoglycan into the lateral cell wall. Each of these molecular machines contains penicillin‐binding proteins (PBPs), which catalyze the final stages of peptidoglycan synthesis, plus a number of accessory proteins. Much effort has been made to identify these accessory proteins and determine their function. In the present paper we have used a novel approach to identify members of the pneumococcal elongasome that are functionally closely linked to PBP2b. We discovered that cells depleted in PBP2b, a key component of the elongasome, display several distinct phenotypic traits. We searched for proteins that, when depleted or deleted, display the same phenotypic changes. Four proteins, RodA, MreD, DivIVA and Spr0777, were identified by this approach. Together with PBP2b these proteins are essential for the normal function of the elongasome. Furthermore, our findings suggest that DivIVA, which was previously assigned as a divisomal protein, is required to correctly localize the elongasome at the negatively curved membrane region between the septal and lateral cell wall.     

pbpB, a gene coding for a putative penicillin-binding protein, is required for aerobic nitrogen fixation in the cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. strain PCC7120

Transposon mutagenesis of Anabaena sp. strain PCC7120 led to the isolation of a mutant strain, SNa1, which is unable to fix nitrogen aerobically but is perfectly able to grow with combined nitrogen (i.e., nitrate). Reconstruction of the transposon mutation of SNa1 in the wild-type strain reproduced the phenotype of the original mutant. The transposon had inserted within an open reading frame whose translation product shows significant homology with a family of proteins known as high-molecular-weight penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs), which are involved in the synthesis of the peptidoglycan layer of the cell wall. A sequence similarity search allowed us to identify at least 12 putative PBPs in the recently sequenced Anabaena sp. strain PCC7120 genome, which we have named and organized according to predicted molecular size and the Escherichia coli nomenclature for PBPs; based on this nomenclature, we have denoted the gene interrupted in SNal as pbpB and its product as PBP2. The wild-type form of pbpB on a shuttle vector successfully complemented the mutation in SNa1. In vivo expression studies indicated that PBP2 is probably present when both sources of nitrogen, nitrate and N₂, are used. When nitrate is used, the function of PBP2 either is dispensable or may be substituted by other PBPs; however, under nitrogen deprivation, where the differentiation of the heterocyst takes place, the role of PBP2 in the formation and/or maintenance of the peptidoglycan layer is essential.     

Activities and regulation of peptidoglycan synthases

Peptidoglycan (PG) is an essential component in the cell wall of nearly all bacteria, forming a continuous, mesh-like structure, called the sacculus, around the cytoplasmic membrane to protect the cell from bursting by its turgor. Although PG synthases, the penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs), have been studied for 70 years, useful in vitro assays for measuring their activities were established only recently, and these provided the first insights into the regulation of these enzymes. Here, we review the current knowledge on the glycosyltransferase and transpeptidase activities of PG synthases. We provide new data showing that the bifunctional PBP1A and PBP1B from Escherichia coli are active upon reconstitution into the membrane environment of proteoliposomes, and that these enzymes also exhibit DD-carboxypeptidase activity in certain conditions. Both novel features are relevant for their functioning within the cell. We also review recent data on the impact of protein–protein interactions and other factors on the activities of PBPs. As an example, we demonstrate a synergistic effect of multiple protein–protein interactions on the glycosyltransferase activity of PBP1B, by its cognate lipoprotein activator LpoB and the essential cell division protein FtsN.