A lysozyme with altered substrate specificity facilitates prey cell exit by the periplasmic predator Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus

Abstract

The bacterial periplasmic predator Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus deacetylates the peptidoglycan of the prey bacterium early upon invasion. Here, the authors identify and characterize a Bdellovibrio lysozyme that acts specifically on deacetylated peptidoglycan and is important for periplasmic exit.