BIOL 230 Lecture Guide - Flash Animation Showing the Synthesis of Peptidoglycan in Bacteria

Synthesis of Peptidoglycan: Action of Transglycosidase

The bacterial cell wall in the domain Bacteria is composed of a rigid, tight-knit molecular complex called peptidoglycan. Peptidoglycan, also known as murein, is a vast polymer consisting of interlocking chains of identical peptidoglycan monomers. It functions to prevent bacterial osmotic lysis.

In order for bacteria to divide by binary fission and increase their size following division, links in the peptidoglycan must be broken, new peptidoglycan monomers must be inserted, and the peptide cross links must be resealed.

After bactoprenols then insert the peptidoglycan monomers into the breaks in the peptidoglycan at the growing point of the cell wall, t ransglycosidase enzymes catalize the formation of glycosidic bonds between the NAM and NAG of the peptidoglycan momomers and the NAG and NAM of the existing peptidoglycan.