Cross-linking teichoic acids by click chemistry prevents bacterial cell growth

Abstract

This work identifies a novel antibacterial mechanism that targets the cell wall of the human pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae. Unlike conventional cell-wall targeting antibiotics, which inhibit the natural cross-linking of peptidoglycan, we introduce artificial cross-links in the other main component of the Gram-positive cell wall, the teichoic acids, and show that it leads to impaired cell growth.