Chemical biology of peptidoglycan acetylation and deacetylation

Post-synthetic modification of the bacterial cell wall represents an important strategy for pathogenic bacteria to evade innate immunity and control autolysins. Modifications to the glycan backbone of peptidoglycan are generally restricted to the C-6 hydroxyl and C-3 amino moieties, with the most common being acetylation and deacetylation. In this review we discuss the pathways for O-acetylation, de-O-acetylation and N-deacetylation with an emphasis on the chemical–biological approaches used in their investigation. The current challenges in the field and the prospects of targeting these systems with novel therapeutics are also explored.

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