Cracking outer membrane biogenesis. Author Randi Guest, Thomas Silhavy Publication Year 2023 Type Journal Article Abstract The outer membrane is a distinguishing feature of the Gram-negative envelope. It lies on the external face of the peptidoglycan sacculus and forms a robust permeability barrier that protects extracytoplasmic structures from environmental insults. Overcoming the barrier imposed by the outer membrane presents a significant hurdle towards developing novel antibiotics that are effective against Gram-negative bacteria. As the outer membrane is an essential component of the cell, proteins involved in its biogenesis are themselves promising antibiotic targets. Here, we summarize key findings that have built our understanding of the outer membrane. Foundational studies describing the discovery and composition of the outer membrane as well as the pathways involved in its construction are discussed. Keywords Anti-Bacterial Agents, Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins Journal Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Res Volume 1870 Issue 2 Pages 119405 Date Published 2023 Feb ISSN Number 1879-2596 DOI 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2022.119405 Alternate Journal Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Res PMCID PMC9878550 PMID 36455781 PubMedPubMed CentralGoogle ScholarBibTeXEndNote X3 XML