N-acetylmuramic acid recognition by MurK kinase from the MurNAc auxotrophic oral pathogen Tannerella forsythia.

The bacterial cell wall consists of a three-dimensional peptidoglycan layer, composed of peptides linked to the sugars N-acetylmuramic acid (MurNAc) and GlcNAc. Unlike other bacteria, the pathogenic Tannerella forsythia, a member of the red complex group of bacteria associated with the late stages of periodontitis, lacks biosynthetic pathways for MurNAc production and therefore obtains MurNAc from the environment. Sugar kinases play a crucial role in the MurNAc recycling process, activating the sugar molecules by phosphorylation.