Syllabus

GS 3: Science and Technology

Context: Recently, CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad has found that many bacteria make mistakes while building their cell wall.

More on the News

• Bacteria sometimes instead of using the correct amino acid L-alanine, they use a structurally similar one called glycine.
• This small change weakens their cell wall making them more sensitive to antibiotics. 
• These findings have been published in the Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) journal.

Key Findings from the Study

• Scientists discovered that bacteria use a special enzyme called PgeF (Peptidoglycan Editing Factor) to keep their cell wall properly built. 
• They found this by studying bacterial genes and using advanced tools to analyze molecules.
• A similar enzyme is also found in humans, called LACC1. 
• This enzyme is linked to several autoinflammatory diseases, where the immune system becomes overactive. 
• The study of cell wall will help scientists in developing of new drug strategies to combat bacteria.

About Bacterial Cell Wall 

• The bacterial cell wall is made of sugars and short chains of amino acids call peptidoglycan.
  This consists of many sugar polymers interconnected by short peptides.
• The peptidoglycan layer surrounds the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane much like a jute bag. 
• The peptides within this structure are cross-linked in various ways, especially through specific bonds between amino acid residues on neighbouring peptide chains. 
• One such rare component, found only in bacterial cell walls, is meso-diaminopimelic acid (mDAP).
• It is absent in other life forms, including humans, which is why many antibiotics target it.
• Peptidoglycan is composed of many identical subunits. 
  Each subunit within the sacculus contains two sugar derivatives, N-acetylglucosamine (NAG), N-acetylmuramic acid (NAM) and several different amino acids.
  It provides shape, strength and protection. It plays vital role in survival and is also major target for antibiotics.

About CCMB

• The Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology established in 1977 under Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), situated in Hyderabad, Telangana.
• The idea to set up a centre for advanced research in cellular and molecular biology was proposed by Dr. Pushpa Mittra Bhargava, a well-known Indian scientist and the first director of CCMB.
• UNESCO's Global Molecular and Cell Biology Network has recognized it as a "Centre of Excellence."

Source

https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/bacterial-cell-walls-could-hold-clues-to-better-human-health-say-ccmb-scientists/article69846494.ece