Bacterial Cell Wall and Cell Division

Mohammed Terrak

Research Associate FRS_FNRS

Centre d’Ingénierie des Protéines (CIP)
Bât.B6a – Quartier Agora
allée du six Août 11
4000 Liège 1
Belgium
Tél. :+32 4 3663332
Fax :+32 4 3663364

Detailed information

Publication list

Research interest

• Bacterial cell wall peptidoglycan synthesis and regulation
• Inhibition of peptidoglycan synthesis
• Protein-protein interaction networks involved in cell division

Research summary

Peptidoglycan (PG) is an essential macromolecular sacculus surrounding most bacteria. It is assembled by the glycosyltransferase (GTase) and transpeptidase (TPase) activities of multinodular penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) within specialized multiprotein complexes, elongasome and divisome. These complexes include in addition of PG synthases, PG hydrolases lipid II precursor flippase and regulatory proteins that communicate by dynamic protein-protein interactions. These processes are essential and constitute validated or potential antibiotic targets.

We use biochemical and structural approaches to study the interaction, activity and structure of the proteins and complexes with the aim to understand the molecular mechanism of peptidoglycan synthesis and cell division. The results could help in the development of therapeutics solutions to combat resistant pathogens.

Selected publications

• Li Y, Boes A, Cui Y, Zhao S, Liao Q, Gong H, Breukink E, Lutkenhaus J, Terrak M, Du S. Identification of the potential active site of the septal peptidoglycan polymerase FtsW. PLoS Genet. 2022 Jan 5;18(1):e1009993. 
• Pazos M, Peters K, Boes A, Safaei Y, Kenward C, Caveney NA, Laguri C, Breukink E, Strynadka NCJ, Simorre JP, Terrak M, Vollmer W. SPOR Proteins Are Required for Functionality of Class A Penicillin-Binding Proteins in Escherichia coli. mBio. 2020 Nov 3;11(6):e02796-20.
• Boes A, Kerff F, Herman R, Touzé T, Breukink E, Terrak M. The bacterial cell division protein fragment EFtsN binds to and activates the major peptidoglycan synthase PBP1b. J Biol Chem. 2020 295 (52), 18256-18265.
• Boes A, Olatunji S, Mohammadi T, Breukink E, Terrak M. Fluorescence anisotropy assays for high throughput screening of compounds binding to lipid II, PBP1b, FtsW and MurJ. Sci Rep. 2020,10(1):6280.
• Boes A, Olatunji S, Breukink E, Terrak M. Regulation of the Peptidoglycan Polymerase Activity of PBP1b by Antagonist Actions of the Core Divisome Proteins FtsBLQ and FtsN. mBio. 2019;10(1):e01912-18.
• Leclercq S, Derouaux A, Olatunji S, Fraipont C, Egan A.J.F., Vollmer W, Breukink E and Terrak M (2017). Interplay between Penicillin-binding proteins and SEDS proteins promotes bacterial cell wall synthesis. Sci. Rep., 7, 43306