Lipoteichoic acid polymer length is determined by competition between free starter units
Anthony Hesser, Kaitlin Schaefer, Wonsik Lee, Suzanne Walker
Abstract
Significance Carbohydrate polymers are found in all domains of life, and their biological activities can change depending on their length. Gram-positive bacteria decorate their cell membrane with lipoteichoic acids (LTAs), which are important for essential processes such as cell division, osmotic stability, and antimicrobial resistance. The length of LTA polymers affects fitness, pathogenicity, and susceptibility to beta-lactams. Using in vitro reconstitution, we have identified a unique mechanism that controls polymer length. In addition to providing fundamental mechanistic insight into carbohydrate polymerases, our results provide a platform for studying this conserved cell envelope enzyme and should facilitate the development of antibiotics targeting it.