Quantification of the d-Ala-d-Lac-Terminated Peptidoglycan Structure in Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus faecalis Using a Combined Solid-State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Mass Spectrometry Analysis

Induction of vancomycin resistance in vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) involves replacement of the d-Ala-d-Ala terminus of peptidoglycan (PG) stems with d-Ala-d-Lac, dramatically reducing the binding affinity of vancomycin for lipid II. Effects from vancomycin resistance induction in Enterococcus faecalis (ATCC 51299) were characterized using a combined solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) analysis. Solid-state NMR directly measured the total amounts of d-Lac and l,d-Ala metabolized from [2-13C]pyruvate, accumulated Park’s nucleotide, and changes to the PG bridge-linking density during the early exponential growth phase (OD660 = 0.4) in intact whole cells of VRE. A high level of accumulation of depsipeptide-substituted Park’s nucleotide consistent with the inhibition of the transglycosylation step of PG biosynthesis during the initial phase of vancomycin resistance was observed, while no changes to the PG bridge-linking density following th...