Teichoic acids anchor distinct cell wall lamellae in an apically growing bacterium

The bacterial cell wall is a multicomponent structure that provides structural support and protection. In monoderm species, the cell wall is made up predominantly of peptidoglycan, teichoic acids and capsular glycans. Filamentous monoderm Actinobacteria incorporate new cell-wall material at their tips. Here we use cryo-electron tomography to reveal the architecture of the actinobacterial cell wall ofStreptomyces coelicolor. Our data shows a density difference between the apex and subapical regions. Removal of teichoic acids results in a patchy cell wall and distinct lamellae. Knock-down oftagOexpression using CRISPR-dCas9 interference leads to growth retardation, presumably because build-in of teichoic acids had become rate-limiting. Absence of extracellular glycans produced by MatAB and CslA proteins results in a thinner wall lacking lamellae and patches. We propose that theStreptomycescell wall is composed of layers of peptidoglycan and extracellular polymers that are structurally supported by teichoic acids.Eveline Ultee et al. reveal the architecture of the actinobacterial cell wall of a polar growing bacteriumStreptomyces coelicolor, using cryo-electron tomography. This study suggests that theStreptomycescell wall is composed of layers of peptidoglycan and extracellular polymers that are structurally supported by teichoic acids.Microbial Biotechnolog