Muramyl dipeptide
Encyclopedia
Muramyl dipeptide is a peptidoglycan
constituent of both Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria
. It is composed of N-acetylmuramic acid
linked by its lactic acid
moiety to the N-terminus of an L-alanine
D-isoglutamine
dipeptide.
Peptidoglycan
Peptidoglycan, also known as murein, is a polymer consisting of sugars and amino acids that forms a mesh-like layer outside the plasma membrane of bacteria , forming the cell wall. The sugar component consists of alternating residues of β- linked N-acetylglucosamine and N-acetylmuramic acid...
constituent of both Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria
Bacteria
Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...
. It is composed of N-acetylmuramic acid
N-Acetylmuramic acid
N-Acetylmuramic acid, or MurNAc, is the ether of lactic acid and N-acetylglucosamine with a chemical formula of C11H19NO8. It is part of a biopolymer in the bacterial cell wall, built from alternating units of N-acetylglucosamine and N-acetylmuramic acid , cross-linked with oligopeptides at the...
linked by its lactic acid
Lactic acid
Lactic acid, also known as milk acid, is a chemical compound that plays a role in various biochemical processes and was first isolated in 1780 by the Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele. Lactic acid is a carboxylic acid with the chemical formula C3H6O3...
moiety to the N-terminus of an L-alanine
Alanine
Alanine is an α-amino acid with the chemical formula CH3CHCOOH. The L-isomer is one of the 20 amino acids encoded by the genetic code. Its codons are GCU, GCC, GCA, and GCG. It is classified as a nonpolar amino acid...
D-isoglutamine
Isoglutamine
Isoglutamine or α-glutamine is an amino acid which is derived from glutamic acid by substituting the carboxyl group in position 1 with an amide group...
dipeptide.
See also
- DipeptideDipeptideA dipeptide is a molecule consisting of two amino acids joined by a single peptide bond.Dipeptides are produced from polypeptides by the action of the hydrolase enzyme dipeptidyl peptidase. Dietary proteins are digested to dipeptides and amino acids, and the dipeptides are absorbed more rapidly...
- MifamurtideMifamurtideMifamurtide is a drug against osteosarcoma, a kind of bone cancer mainly affecting children and young adults, which is lethal in about a third of cases. The drug was approved in Europe in March 2009.- History :...
, a synthetic analogue for the treatment of osteosarcomaOsteosarcomaOsteosarcoma is an aggressive cancerous neoplasm arising from primitive transformed cells of mesenchymal origin that exhibit osteoblastic differentiation and produce malignant osteoid...