Articles of Significant Interest in This Issue

Abstract

The WalRK two-component signaling system in Bacillus subtilis controls the expression of the cell wall hydrolases LytE and CwlO, which are required for growth. When the activities of these enzymes are too high or too low, WalR modulates their expression in response. Dobihal et al. (e00533-21) report that WalRK-dependent transcription of pdaC, a membrane-anchored peptidoglycan deacetylase, also functions in hydrolase regulation. They show that deacetylation of the peptidoglycan reduces cleavage by membrane-tethered CwlO and secreted LytE when their activities get too high. Their findings indicate that WalRK homeostatically controls both the levels and the activities of peptidoglycan hydrolases crucial for growth.