From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The periplasmic space or periplasm is a space between the inner cytoplasmic membrane and external outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria or the equivalent space outside the inner membrane of Gram-positive bacteria. It may constitute up to 40% of the total cell volume in Gram-negative species, and is drastically smaller in the Gram-positive one.[1] The space contains a loose network of murein (peptidoglycan) chains, as well as a gel containing hydrolytic and degradative enzymes.[2][vague] Other enzymes in the gel are involved in various biochemical pathways including peptidoglycan synthesis, electron transport, and alteration of substances toxic to the cell (xenobiotic metabolism).[3] In some species, the gel also contains beta-lactamase, an enzyme responsible for degrading penicillin. This can be of clinical importance when considering antibiotic resistance.
[edit] Other Usage
In yeast, the term "periplasmic space" refers to the thin region between the plasma membrane and the cell wall.
[edit] References
- ^ Otto Holst; Guntram Seltmann. The Bacterial Cell Wall. Berlin: Springer. ISBN 3-540-42608-6.
- ^ Kenneth J. Ryan; C. George Ray (2004). Sherris Medical Microbiology: An Introduction to Infectious Diseases. New York: McGraw-Hill Medical Publishing Division. ISBN 0-8385-8529-9.
- ^ Klein, Donald W.; Prescott, Lansing M.; Harley, John (2005). Microbiology. Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. ISBN 0-07-295175-3.
[edit] Further reading
- D. White, The Physiology and Biochemistry of Prokaryotes, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2000, pp. 22.
