Bactoprenol

Occurrence

Bactoprenol is a lipid synthesized from mevalonic acid and is the most abundant lipid found in certain species of lactobacilli. Bactoprenol is found in both mesosomal and plasma membranes. Mesosomal and plasma bactoprenol are synthesized independently from each other.

Function

Bactoprenol is thought to play a key role in the formation of cell walls in Gram-positive bacteria by cycling peptidoglycan monomers through the plasma membrane and inserting these monomers at points of growth in the bacterial cell wall.

Antibiotic significance

Because bactoprenol is so important for cell growth, numerous antibiotic compounds function by disrupting the bactoprenol-mediated transportation pathway. This strategy was first identified by studying the antibiotic mechanism of friulimicin B. Since then, other antibiotics that make use of a similar mechanism have been identified, including nisin and lantibiotics such as NAI-107.

References

References

1. (April 1966). "The structure of bactoprenol, a lipid formed by lactobacilli from mevalonic acid". The Biochemical Journal.
2. Kaiser, Gary. (September 2018). "BIOL 230 Lecture Guide - Synthesis of Peptidoglycan - Role of Bactoprenol".
3. (November 1989). "Synthesis and characterization of dolichols and polyprenols of designed geometry and chain length.". Chemistry and Physics of Lipids.
4. (November 1970). "Spheroplasts of Lactobacillus casei and the cellular distribution of bactoprenol". Journal of Cell Science.
5. (April 1972). "The occurrence of bactoprenol in the mesosome and plasma membranes of Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus plantarum". Journal of General Microbiology.
6. Kaiser, Gary. (September 2018). "BIOL 230 Lecture Guide - Synthesis of Peptidoglycan - Role of Bactoprenol".
7. (February 2010). "Lipid II and other bactoprenol-bound cell wall precursors as drug targets". Current Opinion in Investigational Drugs.
8. (April 2009). "The lipopeptide antibiotic Friulimicin B inhibits cell wall biosynthesis through complex formation with bactoprenol phosphate". Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.
9. (November 2013). "Aggregates of nisin with various bactoprenol-containing cell wall precursors differ in size and membrane permeation capacity". Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Biomembranes.
10. (April 2014). "The lantibiotic NAI-107 binds to bactoprenol-bound cell wall precursors and impairs membrane functions". The Journal of Biological Chemistry.