Mycobacterium smegmatis HtrA Blocks the Toxic Activity of a Putative Cell Wall Amidase (Cell Reports)

Wu et al. show that in Mycobacterium smegmatis, the putative cell wall amidase Ami3 can accumulate to toxicity under the stabilizing influence of Pmt mannosylation. To control Ami3 levels, an essential complex between the periplasmic serine protease HtrA and the lipoprotein LppZ regulates Ami3 levels, maintaining cellular integrity.