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Shared Lipid Phosphate Carrier in the Biosynthesis of Teichoic Acid and Peptidoglycan

Nature New Biology volume 229, pages 57–59 (1971)Cite this article

Abstract

THE pathways for the formation of several bacterial wall polymers have been thoroughly investigated. In some cases it has been shown that the biosynthesis involves the participation of lipid intermediates that are concerned with the transfer, and transport through the membrane, of sugar residues and related components from intracellular nucleotide precursors to polymer chains in the wall. All these membrane lipids so far isolated and identified have been shown to be the C55 polyisöprenol, undecaprenol, although it has not yet been demonstrated that they are the same isomer. Thus poly-isoprenols have been demonstrated to participate in the synthesis of O-antigen1, peptidoglycan2, 3 and mannan4.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Microbiological Chemistry Research Laboratory, School of Chemistry, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU

    R. J. WATKINSON, HELEN HUSSEY & J. BADDILEY

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  1. R. J. WATKINSON
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  2. HELEN HUSSEY
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  3. J. BADDILEY
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WATKINSON, R., HUSSEY, H. & BADDILEY, J. Shared Lipid Phosphate Carrier in the Biosynthesis of Teichoic Acid and Peptidoglycan. Nature New Biology 229, 57–59 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1038/newbio229057a0

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