Cell wall growth patterns of a variety of bacteria have been studied using fluorescently labeled D-amino acids. This approach has worked because
A) fluorescent amino acids block further cell wall synthesis and thus provide a snapshot of the cell wall at a particular time.
B) ribosomes cannot incorporate any fluorescence and thus cannot use fluorescent amino acids; it all goes to cell wall.
C) vancomycin can block the incorporation of D-alanine into protein and thus force it into the cell wall.
D) the labeled amino acids are D-amino acids, not L-amino acids.; thus, they only were incorporated into cell wall.
E) This approach has not worked.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The labeled amino acids used in this study are D-amino acids, not L-amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins. Most bacteria use L-amino acids for protein synthesis, and therefore the D-amino acids used in this study were incorporated primarily into the cell wall rather than in proteins. This allowed for visualization of cell wall growth patterns using fluorescent microscopy.

Cell Wall Growth Patterns of a Variety of Bacteria Have