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The alternative to penicillins

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections have become a major problem worldwide. The finding that two bacterial enzymes, one native and one acquired, cooperate to build cell walls in the presence of methicillin has drawn attention to an as yet unutilized target for new antibiotics.

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Figure 1: Incorporation of the lipid-linked murein (peptidoglycan) precursor into the higher molecular structure, the murein sacculus, by a transglycosylation and transpeptidation as it occurs in Escherichia coli.

Renee Lucas

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Höltje, JV. The alternative to penicillins. Nat Med 7, 1100–1101 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm1001-1100

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