{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,10]],"date-time":"2026-06-10T16:54:12Z","timestamp":1781110452320,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":81,"publisher":"National Academy of Sciences","issue":"52","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,22]],"date-time":"2025-12-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1766361600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000057","name":"HHS | NIH | National Institute of General Medical Sciences","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["F32 GM137554"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["F32 GM137554"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000057","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000060","name":"HHS | NIH | National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["AI176776 AI138576 AI50098"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["AI176776 AI138576 AI50098"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000060","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100016461","name":"DOD | USA | AFC | CCDC | ARO | Life Sciences Division, Army Research Office","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["W911NF2010195"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["W911NF2010195"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100016461","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.pnas.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A."],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,30]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    Gram-negative bacteria build a multilayered cell envelope in which the peptidoglycan layer is sandwiched between an inner membrane of glycerophospholipids and an asymmetric outer membrane composed of glycerophospholipids and lipopolysaccharide (LPS).\n                    <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Acinetobacter baumannii<\/jats:italic>\n                    , however, synthesize lipooligosaccharide (LOS), an LPS variant lacking O-antigen. Although LPS\/LOS is typically essential,\n                    <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">A. baumannii<\/jats:italic>\n                    can survive without LOS, offering the opportunity to examine how the Gram-negative envelope remains stable in the absence of this major glycolipid. We previously found that the peptidoglycan biogenesis protein NlpD, an activator of peptidoglycan degradation by cell division amidases, is critical for fitness during LOS deficiency. Here, we show that NlpD is required under these conditions because a second putative amidase activator, WthA (cell wall turnover hub protein A), no longer functions in LOS-deficient cells. Mutants lacking WthA exhibited severe cell-division defects and were synthetically sick with loss of NlpD.\n                    <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Acinetobacter<\/jats:italic>\n                    <\/jats:italic>\n                    lack canonical periplasmic amidases, raising the question of which enzymes partner with NlpD and WthA. Previous work showed that overexpression of an\n                    <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Acinetobacter<\/jats:italic>\n                    <\/jats:italic>\n                    \u03b2-lactamase increased denuded peptidoglycan, a product of amidase activity. Guided by this finding, we examined the chromosomally encoded \u03b2-lactamase Oxa51 and found that its coexpression with WthA or NlpD enhanced release of amidase products, suggesting that Oxa51 participates in peptidoglycan degradation and that WthA is an amidase activator. Further, WthA influenced peptidoglycan endopeptidases and lytic transglycosylases through a network of protein interactions. Altogether, these findings identify WthA as a missing regulator in\n                    <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Acinetobacter<\/jats:italic>\n                    peptidoglycan biogenesis and a hub that coordinates peptidoglycan turnover and cell division.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.2529815122","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,22]],"date-time":"2025-12-22T20:00:56Z","timestamp":1766433656000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1073\/pnas.cm10313","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["A conserved hub protein required for peptidoglycan remodeling and cell division in\n                    <i>Acinetobacter baumannii<\/i>"],"prefix":"10.1073","volume":"122","author":[{"given":"Brent W.","family":"Simpson","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia","place":["Athens"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3153-8017","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Amanda B.","family":"McLean","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia","place":["Athens"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6134-1800","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"M. Stephen","family":"Trent","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia","place":["Athens"]},{"name":"Department of Microbiology, College of Art and Sciences; University of Georgia","place":["Athens"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"341","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_4_1_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1574-6976.2012.00344.x"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_2_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4161\/viru.19700"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_3_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/nrmicro1789"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_4_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/jb.141.3.1463-1465.1980"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_5_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1021\/bi00657a012"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_6_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.chemrev.0c00587"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_7_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/MMBR.67.4.593-656.2003"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_8_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41586-018-0344-3"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_9_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/JB.01245-12"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_10_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.1420588112"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_11_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/mBio.03099-21"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_12_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41579-019-0201-x"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_13_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/cid\/ciu213"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_14_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/cid\/cit367"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_15_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/AAC.00834-10"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_16_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.1611594113"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_17_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/AAC.01597-13"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_18_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.1806714115"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_19_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/mBio.02185-20"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_20_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/33046"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_21_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/IAI.73.11.7569-7577.2005"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_22_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.celrep.2022.110888"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_23_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev-micro-020518-120056"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_24_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.chemrev.1c00773"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_25_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1365-2958.2006.05571.x"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_26_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pgen.1006888"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_27_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/emboj.2010.36"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_28_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/JB.00505-09"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_29_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/mmi.14712"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_30_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fmicb.2022.913949"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_31_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1242\/jcs.237057"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_32_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev-biophys-121219-081703"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_33_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.1107780108"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_34_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.2017134117"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_35_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.2302580120"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_36_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/mBio.01247-20"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_37_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.1508536112"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_38_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/JB.00811-09"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_39_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/mmi.12906"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_40_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/mmi.12905"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_41_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.2107210118"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_42_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.2004598117"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_43_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41564-023-01368-0"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_44_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41467-023-39921-4"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_45_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/JB.00131-15"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_46_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/mBio.01163-14"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_47_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41564-019-0632-1"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_48_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.2201141119"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_49_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/mBio.03137-21"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_50_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/spectrum.04646-22"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_51_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/mBio.00972-18"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_52_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/JB.00393-21"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_53_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/JB.184.22.6093-6099.2002"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_54_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/227138a0"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_55_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.72.10.4162"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_56_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.0911674106"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_57_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/mmi.13077"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_58_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1021\/acschembio.5b00090"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_59_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/protein\/gzab013"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_60_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.2308940120"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_61_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/jb.00369-23"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_62_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/JB.180.5.1215-1223.1998"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_63_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/JB.184.23.6434-6436.2002"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_64_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1074\/jbc.M111.267179"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_65_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/JB.00316-11"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_66_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1365-2958.2010.07222.x"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_67_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1365-2958.2010.07224.x"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_68_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1365-2958.2010.07223.x"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_69_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/mmi.13775"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_70_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pgen.1006999"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_71_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41467-023-39783-w"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_72_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/nar\/gkac1000"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_73_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/nar\/gkz268"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_74_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/IAI.71.12.7053-7060.2003"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_75_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/JB.00134-19"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_76_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1099\/mic.0.082420-0"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_77_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/mbio.03680-21"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_78_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s44318-024-00069-6"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_79_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.1507760112"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_80_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/jb\/mvh022"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_81_2","unstructured":"B. W. Simpson M. S. Trent. Additional information for Simpson et al 2025 PNAS. Zenodo. https:\/\/zenodo.org\/records\/17602936. Deposited 19 November 2025."}],"container-title":["Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/pnas.org\/doi\/pdf\/10.1073\/pnas.2529815122","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"syndication"},{"URL":"https:\/\/pnas.org\/doi\/pdf\/10.1073\/pnas.2529815122","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,9]],"date-time":"2026-01-09T19:33:58Z","timestamp":1767987238000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/pnas.org\/doi\/10.1073\/pnas.2529815122"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,22]]},"references-count":81,"journal-issue":{"issue":"52","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,30]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1073\/pnas.2529815122"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1073\/pnas.2529815122","relation":{},"ISSN":["0027-8424","1091-6490"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0027-8424","type":"print"},{"value":"1091-6490","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,22]]},"assertion":[{"value":"2025-10-23","order":0,"name":"received","label":"Received","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2025-11-11","order":2,"name":"accepted","label":"Accepted","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2025-12-22","order":3,"name":"published","label":"Published","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}}],"article-number":"e2529815122"}}