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Updated: Mar 21, 2026

Three-dimensional Imaging of Bacterial Cells for Accurate Cellular Representations and Precise Protein Localization
Published on: October 29, 2019
Structural Insights into Protein-Protein Interactions Involved in Bacterial Cell Wall Biogenesis
Federica Laddomada1,2,3, Mayara M Miyachiro4, Andréa Dessen5,6,7,8
1Institut de Biologie Structurale (IBS), University Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble F-38044, France. federica.laddomada@ibs.fr.
Abstract:
The bacterial cell wall is essential for survival, and proteins that participate in its biosynthesis have been the targets of antibiotic development efforts for decades. The biosynthesis of its main component, the peptidoglycan, involves the coordinated action of proteins that are involved in multi-member complexes which are essential for cell division (the "divisome") and/or cell wall elongation (the "elongasome"), in the case of rod-shaped cells. Our knowledge regarding these interactions has greatly benefitted from the visualization of different aspects of the bacterial cell wall and its cytoskeleton by cryoelectron microscopy and tomography, as well as genetic and biochemical screens that have complemented information from high resolution crystal structures of protein complexes involved in divisome or elongasome formation. This review summarizes structural and functional aspects of protein complexes involved in the cytoplasmic and membrane-related steps of peptidoglycan biosynthesis, with a particular focus on protein-protein interactions whereby disruption could lead to the development of novel antibacterial strategies.
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