肽聚糖的生物合成及其调控机制研究进展

肽聚糖(peptidoglycan)是细菌细胞壁的重要组成部分,对于维持细胞形态、大小及存活至关重要;同时,肽聚糖是众多常用抗生素的作用靶点。在细菌的正常生长过程中,肽聚糖不断地合成和水解,为了保证细胞壁的完整性,肽聚糖生物合成过程必然受到严谨的时空调控。肽聚糖的生物合成及其调控机制是微生物学中重要的基础研究之一,近年来国内外研究团队在该领域取得了突破性研究进展。基于此,本文综述了肽聚糖的从头合成和循环再利用过程,并重点阐述了肽聚糖合成关键酶——肽聚糖合酶及其调控机制的最新研究进展。最后,本文对未来需要加强研究的方向进行了展望。

Peptidoglycan biosynthesis and the regulatory mechanism

Peptidoglycan is the most important component of bacterial cell wall, as it is crucial for the maintenance of cell morphology, cell size and cell survival. Meanwhile, peptidoglycan is the target of many commonly used antibiotics. The synthesis and hydrolysis of peptidoglycan occur simultaneously in bacteria under normal growth conditions. For the sake of cell wall integrity, the biosynthesis of peptidoglycan needs to be spatiotemporally controlled. Peptidoglycan biosynthesis and the regulatory mechanism are among the most fundamental research topics in microbiology. In recent years, researchers around the world have made remarkable progress in this field. On this basis, this review summarizes the de novo synthesis of peptidoglycan and peptidoglycan recycling pathway, and emphasizes the research advances in peptidoglycan synthases (key enzymes involved in peptidoglycan synthesis) and their regulatory mechanisms. Finally, this review puts forward the questions to be addressed in the future.