Bacillus subtilis MurJ and Amj Lipid II flippases are not essential for growth

• Published in: Journal of bacteriology Vol. 207; no. 5; p. e0007825
• Main Authors: Englehart, Kiera, Dworkin, Jonathan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Society for Microbiology 22.05.2025
• Subjects: Bacillus subtilis; Bacillus subtilis - enzymology; Bacillus subtilis - genetics; Bacillus subtilis - growth & development; Bacillus subtilis - metabolism; Bacterial Proteins - genetics; Bacterial Proteins - metabolism; Bacteriology; Cell walls; Cytoplasmic membranes; Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial - physiology; Lipids; Membranes; Peptidoglycans; Phospholipid Transfer Proteins - genetics; Phospholipid Transfer Proteins - metabolism; Polysaccharides; Protein transport; Proteins; Research Article; Sporulation; Synthesis; Uridine Diphosphate N-Acetylmuramic Acid - analogs & derivatives; Uridine Diphosphate N-Acetylmuramic Acid - metabolism; peptidoglycan
• ISSN: 0021-9193; 1098-5530; 1098-5530
• DOI: 10.1128/jb.00078-25

The assembly of peptidoglycan (PG), the typically essential polymer that provides structural integrity to bacterial cells, begins with the synthesis of the Lipid II monomer in the cytoplasm and along the cytoplasmic face of the inner membrane. Lipid II is then translocated across the membrane to the extracellular site of polymerization. The mechanistic basis for this process remains unclear, with genetic and/or biochemical evidence pointing to two different families of conserved membrane proteins. Here, we present genetic evidence that only one of these two families is essential in Bacillus subtilis .