MurA escape mutations uncouple peptidoglycan biosynthesis from PrkA signaling
Authors: Wamp Sabrina , Rothe Patricia , Holland Gudrun , Halbedel Sven 
Published: September 2021

Gram-positive bacteria are protected by a thick mesh of peptidoglycan (PG) completely engulfing their cells. This PG network is the main component of the bacterial cell wall, it provides rigidity and acts as foundation for the attachment of other surface molecules. Biosynthesis of PG consumes a high amount of cellular resources and therefore requires careful adjustments to environmental conditions.

An important switch in the control of PG biosynthesis of Listeria monocytogenes, a Gram-positive pathogen with a high infection fatality rate, is the serine/threonine protein kinase PrkA. A key substrate of this kinase is the small cytosolic protein ReoM. We have shown previously that ReoM phosphorylation regulates PG formation through control of MurA stability. MurA catalyzes the first step in PG biosynthesis and the current model suggests that phosphorylated ReoM prevents MurA degradation by the ClpCP protease. In contrast, conditions leading to ReoM dephosphorylation stimulate MurA degradation. How ReoM controls degradation of MurA and potential other substrates is not understood. Also, the individual contribution of the ∼20 other known PrkA targets to PG biosynthesis regulation is unknown.

We here present murA mutants which escape proteolytic degradation. The release of MurA from ClpCP-dependent proteolysis was able to constitutively activate PG biosynthesis and further enhances the intrinsic cephalosporin resistance of L. monocytogenes. This activation required the RodA3/PBP B3 transglycosylase/transpeptidase pair as additional effectors of the PrkA signaling route. One murA escape mutation not only fully rescued an otherwise non-viable prkA mutant during growth in batch culture and inside macrophages but also overcompensated cephalosporin hypersensitivity. Our data collectively indicate that the main purpose of PrkA-mediated signaling in L. monocytogenes is control of MurA stability during extra- and intracellular growth. These findings have important implications for the understanding of PG biosynthesis regulation and β-lactam resistance of L. monocytogenes and related Gram-positive bacteria.

Author Summary

Peptidoglycan (PG) is the main component of the bacterial cell wall and many of the PG synthesizing enzymes are antibiotic targets. We previously have discovered a new signaling route controlling PG production in the human pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. This route also determines the intrinsic resistance of L. monocytogenes against cephalosporins, a group of β-lactam antibiotics. Signaling involves PrkA, a membrane-embedded protein kinase, that is activated during cell wall stress to phosphorylate its target ReoM. Depending on its phosphorylation, ReoM activates or inactivates PG production by controlling the proteolytic stability of MurA, which catalyzes the first step in PG biosynthesis. MurA degradation depends on the ClpCP protease and we here have isolated murA mutations that escape this degradation. Using these mutants, we could show that regulation of PG biosynthesis through control of MurA stability is the primary purpose of PrkA-mediated signaling in L. monocytogenes. Further experiments identified the transglycosylase RodA and the transpeptidase PBP B3 as additional effectors of PrkA signaling. Our results suggest that both proteins act together to translate the signals received by PrkA into intensification of PG biosynthesis. These findings shed new light on the regulation of PG biosynthesis in Gram-positive bacteria with intrinsic β-lactam resistance.