The peptidoglycan crosslinking enzyme system in Streptomyces strains R61, K15 and rimosus.

The DD-carboxypeptidase-transpeptidase enzyme system in Streptomyces strain K15 consists of: (1) a membrane-bound transpeptidase capable of performing low DD-carboxypeptidase activity; and (2) a set of DD-carboxypeptidases: (a) membrane-bound, (b) lysozyme-releasable and (c) exocellular, having low transpeptidase activities in aqueous media and at low acceptor concentrations. The DD-carboxypeptidases are related to each other and may belong to the same pathway leading to enzyme excretion. A similar enzyme system occurs in Streptomyces strain R61 except that the membrane-bound DD-carboxypeptidase activity is low when compared with the membrane-bound transpeptidase activity. In Streptomyces rimosus the enzyme system consists almost exclusively of the membrane-bound transpeptidase and the levels of membrane-bound, lysozyme-releasable and exocellular DD-carboxypeptidases are very low.