Preparative enzymatic synthesis and characterization of the cytoplasmic intermediates of murein biosynthesis

The first six cytoplasmic intermediates of murein biosynthesis (2-7) have b een prepared in high yield (>60%) and at preparative scale (10-100 mg) usin g purified enzymes of the murein biosynthetic pathway (MurA-MurF). For at l east three of these compounds, 5, 6, and 7, this is the first high-yield sy nthesis and purification by any means that has been reported. Detailed spec troscopic and analytical data accompany each of the six compounds and serve as reference standards for future work. The availability of these intermed iates will facilitate the study of the murein pathway enzymes MurA-MurF, al l of which are validated antibacterial targets.