Which mechanism best describes how bacitracin interferes with bacterial cell wall synthesis?

• A. It irreversibly inhibits the active site of penicillin-binding proteins responsible for peptide cross-linking of peptidoglycan, forming a stable covalent complex that stops transpeptidation.
• B. It enzymatically cleaves the glycosidic bonds of existing peptidoglycan polymers rendering the cell wall soluble and resulting in immediate lysis of the bacterium due to osmotic instability.
• C. It blocks the dephosphorylation and recycling of the lipid carrier bactoprenol, preventing transport of peptidoglycan precursors across the membrane.
• D. It intercalates into DNA, preventing replication and thereby indirectly halting cell wall synthesis because new wall components cannot be produced when replication is inhibited.

Answer: (C)