Abstract
We report that alteration in MurM, an enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of branched-stem cell wall muropeptides, is required for maximal expression of penicillin and cefotaxime resistance in the pneumococcus. Hungarian isolate 3191 (penicillin MIC, 16 μg/ml; cefotaxime MIC, 4 μg/ml) was a source of donor DNA in transformation experiments. Penicillin-binding protein DNA was insufficient to transform recipient strain R6 to full resistance. Further transformation with altered murM DNA was required for full expression of donor penicillin and cefotaxime resistance.

This publication has 16 references indexed in Scilit: