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Journal of Bacteriology, September 2003, p. 5342-5348, Vol. 185, No. 18
0021-9193/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JB.185.18.5342-5348.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Overproduction of Inactive Variants of the Murein Synthase PBP1B Causes Lysis in Escherichia coli

Ute Meisel,{dagger} Joachim-Volker Höltje,{ddagger} and Waldemar Vollmer*

Abteilung Biochemie, Max-Planck-Institut für Entwicklungsbiologie, 72076 Tübingen, Germany

Received 20 March 2003/ Accepted 26 June 2003

Penicillin-binding protein 1B (PBP1B) of Escherichia coli is a bifunctional murein synthase containing both a transpeptidase domain and a transglycosylase domain. The protein is present in three forms ({alpha}, ß, and {gamma}) which differ in the length of their N-terminal cytoplasmic region. Expression plasmids allowing the production of native PBP1B or of PBP1B variants with an inactive transpeptidase or transglycosylase domain or both were constructed. The inactive domains contained a single amino acid exchange in an essential active-site residue. Overproduction of the inactive PBP1B variants, but not of the active proteins, caused lysis of wild-type cells. The cells became tolerant to lysis by inactive PBP1B at a pH of 5.0, which is similar to the known tolerance for penicillin-induced lysis under acid pH conditions. Lysis was also reduced in mutant strains lacking several murein hydrolases. In particular, a strain devoid of activity of all known lytic transglycosylases was virtually tolerant, indicating that mainly the lytic transglycosylases are responsible for the observed lysis effect. A possible structural interaction between PBP1B and murein hydrolases in vivo by the formation of a multienzyme complex is discussed.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Universität Tübingen, Fakultät für Biologie, Lehrbereich Mikrobielle Genetik, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076 Tübingen, Germany. Phone: 49-7071-2974635. Fax: 49-7071-295065. E-mail: waldemar.vollmer{at}uni-tuebingen.de.

{dagger} Present address: Universität Tübingen, Fakultät für Biologie, Lehrbereich Mikrobielle Genetik, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.

{ddagger} Present address: Galerie Joho, Tübingen, 72072 Tübingen, Germany.

Journal of Bacteriology, September 2003, p. 5342-5348, Vol. 185, No. 18
0021-9193/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JB.185.18.5342-5348.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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