Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 1994 Jul 1;301 ( Pt 1)(Pt 1):5-8.
doi: 10.1042/bj3010005.

Analysis of peptidoglycan precursors in vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus gallinarum BM4174

P E Reynolds  1 , H A Snaith, A J Maguire, S Dutka-Malen, P Courvalin
Affiliations

Analysis of peptidoglycan precursors in vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus gallinarum BM4174

P E Reynolds et al. Biochem J. .

Abstract

Vancomycin resistance in enterococci is an increasing clinical problem, and several phenotypes have been identified. We demonstrate here that the resistance mechanism in the constitutively vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus gallinarum BM4174 involves an altered pathway of peptidoglycan synthesis and hydrolysis of the normal precursors in the vancomycin-sensitive pathway. A ligase encoded by the vanC gene catalyses synthesis of D-Ala-D-Ser and substitutes this dipeptide for D-Ala-D-Ala in peptidoglycan precursors. It is presumed that this substitution lowers the affinity of vancomycin for its target site. Destruction of D-Ala-D-Ala (D,D-peptidase activity) and of UDP-MurNAc-L-Ala-D-isoGlu-L-Lys-D-Ala-D-Ala by removal of the terminal D-Ala residue (D,D-carboxypeptidase activity) ensures that the normal vancomycin-sensitive pathway of peptidoglycan synthesis cannot function in the resistant strain.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1990 Oct;34(10):1875-9 - PubMed
    1. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1992 Sep;36(9):2005-8 - PubMed
    1. Biochem J. 1971 Aug;123(5):789-803 - PubMed
    1. Annu Rev Microbiol. 1984;38:339-57 - PubMed
    1. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1992 Jan;36(1):77-80 - PubMed

Publication types