Cephalexin is a cephalosporin antibiotic used to study the effect of expression, binding, and inhibition of PBP3 and other penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) on bacterial cell wall mucopeptide synthesis.
Cephalexin and other antibiotics have been shown to inhibit p-aminohippurate uptake by the rat renal organic anion transporter 1, as expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes. A study of CHO cells transfected with the vector for the H+-coupled peptide transporter PEPT1 has shown that cephalexin is a competitor for dipeptide transport. Cephalexin has been used to culture E. coli at 10 µg/mL for the expression of fusion proteins.
Cephalexin disrupts the synthesis of the peptidoglycan layer of bacterial cell walls which is responsible for cell wall structural integrity. Peptidoglycan synthesis is facilitated by transpeptidases known as penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs). PBPs bind to the D-Ala-D-Ala at the end of muropeptides (peptidoglycan precursors) to crosslink the peptidoglycan. Cephalexin antibiotics mimic the D-Ala-D-Ala site, thereby competitively inhibiting PBP crosslinking of peptidoglycan.
Soluble in water (10 mg/ml - clear). Product is soluble 1 M NH₄OH (50 mg/ml).
Caution: Research Use Only (RUO).