Peptidoglycan synthesis in Salmonella typhimurium 2616

HPLC analysis of peptidoglycan synthesis in Salmonella typhimurium strain 2616 has revealed that: (i) there is observable variation in the composition, but no significant variation in the overall degree of cross-linking, of newly synthesized peptidoglycan during the division cycle; (ii) the types of muropeptide that constitute peptidoglycan do not vary over a wide range of growth rates; and (iii) the composition and maturation kinetics of S. typhimurium peptidoglycan are, as expected, similar to those of Escherichia coli. We propose a unitary model of peptidoglycan synthesis, with single-strand incorporation occurring at both side wall and polar sites.