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(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

Targeting the Achilles' Heel of Bacteria: Different Mechanisms To Break Down the Peptidoglycan Cell Wall during Bacterial Warfare

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Author(s):
Sibinelli-Sousa, Stephanie [1] ; Hespanhol, Julia Takuno [1] ; Bayer-Santos, Ethel [1]
Total Authors: 3
Affiliation:
[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Ciencias Biomed, Dept Microbiol, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil
Total Affiliations: 1
Document type: Review article
Source: Journal of Bacteriology; v. 203, n. 7 APR 2021.
Web of Science Citations: 0
Abstract

Bacteria commonly live in dense polymicrobial communities and compete for scarce resources. Consequently, they employ a diverse array of mechanisms to harm, inhibit, and kill their competitors. The cell wall is essential for bacterial survival by providing mechanical strength to resist osmotic stress. Because peptidoglycan is the major component of the cell wall and its synthesis is a complex multistep pathway that requires the coordinate action of several enzymes, it provides a target for rival bacteria, which have developed a large arsenal of antibacterial molecules to attack the peptidoglycan of competitors. These molecules include antibiotics, bacteriocins, and contact-dependent effectors that are either secreted into the medium or directly translocated into a target cell. In this minireview, we summarize the diversity of these molecules and highlight distinct mechanisms to disrupt the peptidoglycan, giving special attention to molecules that are known or have the potential to be used during interbacterial competitions. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 18/25316-4 - Function of SPI-6 T6SS and SPI-19 T6SS of Salmonella during competition with the gut microbiota
Grantee:Julia Takuno Hespanhol
Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
FAPESP's process: 18/04553-8 - Function of type VI secretion systems of pathogenic bacteria in the interaction with eukaryotic cells
Grantee:Ethel Bayer Santos
Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Young Researchers
FAPESP's process: 17/02178-2 - Function of type VI secretion systems of pathogenic bacteria in the interaction with eukaryotic cells
Grantee:Ethel Bayer Santos
Support type: Research Grants - Young Investigators Grants
FAPESP's process: 19/27644-1 - Contribution of HCPs to the SPI-6 T6SS-dependent pathogenesis of Salmonella Typhimurium
Grantee:Stephanie Sibinelli de Sousa
Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Master