N-Acetylmuramic acid
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| N-Acetylmuramic acid | |
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| Identifiers | |
| CAS number | [10597-89-4] |
| Properties | |
| Molecular formula | C11H19NO8 |
| Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa) Infobox disclaimer and references |
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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 (GlcNAc) and N-acetylmuramic acid (MurNAc), cross-linked with oligopeptides at the lactic acid residue of MurNAc. This layered structure is called peptidoglycan.
MurNAc is a monosaccharide derivative of N-acetylglucosamine.
Chlamydial cell wall lacks muramic acid. This is relevant because it is an exception, most bacteria have muramic acid in their cell walls. It is also clinically relevant. This is the reason penicillin is not very effective in treating chalmydial infection, a protein synthesis blocker like doxocyxline or azithromycin are used instead.
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