Lipid II
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3D model (JSmol)
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PubChem CID
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| Properties | |
| C94H156N8O26P2 | |
| Molar mass | 1876.23 g·mol−1 |
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Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Lipid II is a precursor molecule in the synthesis of the cell wall of bacteria. It is a peptidoglycan, which is amphipathic and named for its bactoprenol hydrocarbon chain, which acts as a lipid anchor, embedding itself in the bacterial cell membrane. Lipid II must translocate across the cell membrane to deliver and incorporate its disaccharide-pentapeptide "building block" into the peptidoglycan mesh. Lipid II is the target of several antibiotics.
Lipid II is the final intermediate in peptidoglycan synthesis. It is formed when the MurG transferase catalyzes addition of N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) to Lipid I, resulting in a complete disaccharide-pentapeptide monomer with a bactoprenol-pyrophosphate anchor. This occurs on the inside of the cytoplasmic membrane, where the bactoprenol chain is embedded in the inner leaflet of the bilayer. Lipid II is then flipped across the membrane to expose the disaccharide-pentapeptide monomer, which is the pentapeptide stem consisting of L-Ala-γ-D-Glu-m-DAP-D-Ala-D-Ala between GlcNAc and N-acetylmuramic acid (MurNAc), for polymerization and cross-linking into peptidoglycan. The remaining bactoprenol-pyrophosphate is then recycled to the interior of the membrane. Lipid II has been referred to as the "shuttle carrier" of peptidoglycan "building blocks'.
The essential flippase that translocates lipid II across the cytoplasmic membrane was only published in July 2014, after decades of searching.
A method for artificial production of lipid II has been described. For synthesis of lipid II from UDP-MurNAc pentapeptide and undecaprenol, the enzymes MraY, MurG, and undecaprenol kinase can be used. Synthetic Lipid II analogues are used in experiments studying how it interacts with and binds molecules.
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