Identification and characterization of cell wall cell division gene clusters in pathogenic gram-positive cocci

Clusters of peptidoglycan biosynthesis and cell division genes (DCW genes) were identified and sequenced in two gram-positive cocci, Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis. The results indicated some similarities in organization compared with previously reported bacterial DCW gene clusters, including the presence of penicillin-binding proteins at the left ends and ftsA and ftsZ cell division genes at the right ends of the clusters. However, there were also some important differences; including the absence of several genes, the comparative sizes of the div1B and ftsQ genes, and a wide range of amino acid sequence similarities, when the genes of the gram-positive cocci were translated and compared to bacterial homologs.