Lipoprotein Lpp regulates the mechanical properties of the E. coli cell envelope

Abstract

Lipoprotein Lpp provides a covalent crosslink between the outer membrane and the peptidoglycan in E. coli. Here, the authors use atomic force microscopy to show that Lpp contributes to cell envelope stiffness by covalently connecting the two layers and by controlling the width of the periplasmic space.