Mutants of Escherichia coli defective in penicillin-insensitive murein DD-endopeptidase.

Two mutants of Escherichia coli that are deficient in the penicillin-insensitive DD-endopeptidase have been isolated. The strain JE10874 (mepA) has about 10%-20% of the residual activity and another strain, JE10368 (mepB) has 40%-50% of the activity found in the wild-type, parental strain, PA3092. The penicillin-insensitive endopeptidase is a periplasmic enzyme. Genetic mapping studies show that the mutation mepA is located close to aroC (50 min) and the other mutation, mepB, is very close to malE (91 min) on the chromosome. These mutants grow normally under a wide range of growth conditions; other phenotypic properties of the mutants are very similar to those of the parent strain. A double mutant (mepA mepB), and a triple mutant (mepA mepB dacB), deficient in both penicillin-insensitive and penicillin-sensitive endopeptidases, were constructed. Again, these mutants grew normally. We conclude that either the very low level of residual enzyme activity in the mutants is enough for their survival or that the penicillin-insensitive endopeptidase is not essential for survival under laboratory conditions.