Cracking outer membrane biogenesis.

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.

Journal
Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Res
Volume
1870
Issue
2
Pages
119405
Date Published
2023 Feb
ISSN Number
1879-2596
Alternate Journal
Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Res
PMCID
PMC9878550
PMID
36455781