Methods for visualization of peptidoglycan biosynthesis

Peptidoglycan is a rigid envelope surrounding the cytoplasmic membrane of most bacterial species. It helps protect bacterial cells from environmental stress and helps preserve cell morphology throughout their life cycle. Peptidoglycan biosynthesis is also an important regulator of bacterial cell division. Since the discovery of penicillin, it has also been an important drug target for antibacterial discovery and development. As a result, a significant effort has been directed at expanding our knowledge of peptidoglycan biosynthesis and dynamics. One approach directed towards this goal enables visualization of peptidoglycan structures in either live or fixed cells. Recent advancements in microscopy have enabled scientists to study peptidoglycan structure, morphology, and organization at high resolution. In combination with structurally defined molecular probes, scientists are now able to perform highly specific, bioorthogonal probing of peptidoglycan structure and dynamics. In this chapter, we will survey peptidoglycan imaging techniques and discuss the findings obtained by these methods.