Bacterial peptidoglycan is a mesh‐like network comprised of sugars and oligopeptides. Transpeptidases cross‐link peptidoglycan oligopeptides to provide vital cell wall rigidity and structural support. It was recently discovered that the same transpeptidases catalyze the metabolic incorporation of exogenous D ‐amino acids onto bacterial cell surfaces with vast promiscuity for the side‐chain identity. It is now shown that this enzymatic promiscuity is not exclusive to side chains, but that C‐terminus variations can also be accommodated across a diverse range of bacteria. Atomic force microscopy analysis revealed that the incorporation of C‐terminus amidated D ‐amino acids onto bacterial surfaces substantially reduced the cell wall stiffness. We exploited the promiscuity of bacterial transpeptidases to develop a novel assay for profiling different bacterial species. 相似文献
α-Amino acids are one type of the main building blocks of living systems, being the primary components of all naturally occurring peptides and proteins. They are the simplest optically active compound in the nature and have multiple functional groups, which enable them to be transformed into a wide variety of optically active substances. The resulting materials show a wide variety of functions such as electron transfer, information transfer, photo reactivity and selective catalytic function, which cannot be imitated by synthetic compounds. Functional macromolecular materials using biological chiral resources such as amino acids have been drawing much interest due to their biocompatibility and biodegradability easing the ecological trouble because amino acid residues can be targeted for cleaving by different enzymes. Also, this type of polymer contains nitrogen, which the organism needs for their growth and shows excellent hydrophilic character, reasonably high melting points and good materials properties even at relatively low molecular weights. However, polymers composed of amino acids alone have limited thermal stability and are insoluble in many common organic solvents, which make these materials difficult to fabricate and utilize. Preparation of hybrid systems between conventional synthetic polymers and linear sequences of amino acids are interesting because amino acid segments possess unique properties, such as directional polarity, chirality and their capability to undergo specific noncovalent interactions. These properties can potentially be used for designing novel hierarchical superstructures with tunable material properties for a wide variety of applications. Herein, the synthesis and properties of synthetic macromolecules having natural amino acids are reviewed in details up to now with excluding polypeptides. 相似文献
Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology - Altered plasma levels of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) and aromatic amino acids (AAAs) may predict the development of insulin resistance and other type... 相似文献
Abstract A reverse phase high performance liquid chromatographic method for the analysis of plasma amino acids is described. The method employs pre-column derivatization with o-phthaldialdehyde using ethanethiol as the reducing agent. The analysis shows good linearity and reproducibility. An average overall difference of 12% was seen for results obtained by the HPLC method versus those obtained with an amino acid analyzer. The chromatographic parameters of buffer concentration and column temperature were also examined. 相似文献
Wet and wild : Water is a powerful force in nature, as evident in the painting “ES” by Zdzislaw Beksinski (1985, oil, 92 cm×90 cm; reproduced with permission from Piotr Dmochowski), as well as a promising medium for asymmetric reactions. As catalysts, natural amino acids are ideal candidates. This Minireview summarizes recent advances in asymmetric catalysis in water, with amino acids and their derivatives as effective catalysts or essential components.
