A methanogen hydrolase reveals the structure of archaeal peptidoglycan
TL;DR - Researchers identified ArmA, a glycosyl hydrolase from the human-gut methanogen Methanobrevibacter smithii, that specifically cleaves methanogen cell walls. Its characterization revealed an unexpected archaeal peptidoglycan structure containing a previously unknown sugar.
- ArmA is specific to the cell wall of methanogens.
- The enzyme’s activity enabled structural analysis of archaeal peptidoglycan.
- The resulting structure includes a sugar that had not previously been identified.
- The findings advance understanding of cell-wall chemistry in a dominant human gut archaeon.