Structure of an extended-spectrum class A beta-lactamase from Proteus vulgaris K1

Detailed investigation of catalytically important residues of class A β-lactamase

An increasing global health challenge is antimicrobial resistance. Bacterial infections are often treated by using β-lactam antibiotics. But several resistance mechanisms have evolved in clinically mutated bacteria, which results in resistance against such antibiotics. Among which production of novel β-lactamase is the major one. This results in bacterial resistance against penicillin, cephalosporin, and carbapenems, which are considered to be the last resort of antibacterial treatment. Hence, β-lactamase enzymes produced by such bacteria are called extended-spectrum β-lactamase and carbapenemase enzymes. Further, these bacteria have developed resistance against many β-lactamase inhibitors as well. So, investigation of important residues that play an important role in altering and expanding the spectrum activity of these β-lactamase enzymes becomes necessary. This review aims to gather knowledge about the role of residues and their mutations in class A β-lactamase, which could be responsible for β-lactamase mediated resistance. Class A β-lactamase enzymes contain most of the clinically significant and expanded spectrum of β-lactamase enzymes. Ser70, Lys73, Ser130, Glu166, and Asn170 residues are mostly conserved and have a role in the enzyme's catalytic activity. In-depth investigation of 69, 130, 131, 132, 164, 165, 166, 170, 171, 173, 176, 178, 179, 182, 237, 244, 275 and 276 residues were done along with its kinetic analysis for knowing its significance. Further, detailed information from many previous studies was gathered to know the effect of mutations on the kinetic activity of class A β-lactamase enzymes with β-lactam antibiotics.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Synthesis, Characterization, Biological Evaluation, and In Silico Studies of Imidazolium-, Pyridinium-, and Ammonium-Based Ionic Liquids Containing n-Butyl Side Chains

Ionic liquids (ILs) have emerged as active pharmaceutical ingredients because of their excellent antibacterial and biological activities. Herein, we used the green-chemistry-synthesis procedure, also known as the metathesis method, to develop three series of ionic liquids using 1-methyl-3-butyl imidazolium, butyl pyridinium, and diethyldibutylammonium as cations, and bromide (Br⁻), methanesulfonate (CH₃SO₃⁻), bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (NTf₂⁻), dichloroacetate (CHCl₂CO₂⁻), tetrafluoroborate (BF₄⁻), and hydrogen sulfate (HSO₄⁻) as anions. Spectroscopic methods were used to validate the structures of the lab-synthesized ILs. We performed an agar well diffusion assay by using pathogenic bacteria that cause various infections (Escherichia coli; Enterobacter aerogenes; Klebsiella pneumoniae; Proteus vulgaris; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Streptococcus pneumoniae; Streptococcus pyogenes) to scrutinize the in vitro antibacterial activity of the ILs. It was established that the nature and unique combination of the cations and anions were responsible for the antibacterial activity of the ILs. Among the tested ionic liquids, the imidazolium cation and NTf₂⁻ and HSO₄⁻ anions exhibited the highest antibacterial activity. The antibacterial potential was further investigated by in silico studies, and it was observed that bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (NTf₂⁻) containing imidazolium and pyridinium ionic liquids showed the maximum inhibition against the targeted bacterial strains and could be utilized in antibiotics. These antibacterial activities float the ILs as a promising alternative to the existing antibiotics and antiseptics.

Global dissemination of β2-lactamases mediating resistance to cephalosporins and carbapenems

While the main era of beta-lactam discovery programs is over, these agents continue to be the most widely prescribed antimicrobials in both community and hospital settings. This has led to considerable beta-lactam pressure on pathogens, resulting in a literal explosion of new beta-lactamase variants of existing enzyme classes. Recent advances in the molecular tools used to detect and characterize beta-lactamases and their genes has, in part, fueled the large increase in communications identifying novel beta-lactamases, particularly in Gram-negative bacilli. It now seems clear that the beta-lactams themselves have shaped the field of new enzymes, and the evolution of key amino acid substitutions around the active sites of beta-lactamases continues to drive resistance. Over 130 variants of TEM beta-lactamase now exist, and more are reported in the scientific literature each month. The most disturbing current trend is that many bla structural genes normally limited to the chromosome are now mobilized on plasmids and integrons, broadening the spread of resistance to include carbapenems and cephamycins. Furthermore, in some Enterobacteriaceae, concomitant loss of outer membrane porins act in concert with these transmissible beta-lactamase genes to confer resistance to the most potent beta-lactams and inhibitor combinations available. Continued reviews of the literature are necessary in order to keep abreast of the ingenuity with which bacteria are changing the current genetic landscape to confer resistance to this important class of antimicrobials.

Structural insights into the broadened substrate profile of the extended-spectrum β-lactamase OXY-1-1 fromKlebsiella oxytoca

Klebsiella oxytocais a pathogen that causes serious infections in hospital patients. It shows resistance to many clinically used β-lactam antibiotics by producing chromosomally encoded OXY-family β-lactamases. Here, the crystal structure of an OXY-family β-lactamase, OXY-1-1, determined at 1.93 Å resolution is reported. The structure shows that the OXY-1-1 β-lactamase has a typical class A β-lactamase fold and exhibits greater similarity to CTX-M-type β-lactamases than to TEM-family or SHV-family β-lactamases. It is also shown that the enzyme provides more space around the active cavity for theR1andR2substituents of β-lactam antibiotics. The half-positive/half-negative distribution of surface electrostatic potential in the substrate-binding pocket indicates the preferred properties of substrates or inhibitors of the enzyme. The results reported here provide a structural basis for the broadened substrate profile of the OXY-family β-lactamases.

Structural insights into substrate recognition and product expulsion in CTX-M enzymes

beta-Lactamase-mediated resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics poses a major threat to our antibiotic armamentarium. Among beta-lactamases, a significant threat comes from enzymes that hydrolyze extended-spectrum cephalosporins such as cefotaxime. Among the enzymes that exhibit this phenotype, the CTX-M family is found worldwide. These enzymes have a small active site, which makes it difficult to explain how they hydrolyze the bulky extended-spectrum cephalosporins into the binding site. We investigated noncovalent substrate recognition and product release in CTX-M enzymes using steered molecular dynamics simulation and X-ray diffraction. An arginine residue located far from the binding site favors the capture and tracking of substrates during entrance into the catalytic pocket. We show that the accommodation of extended-spectrum cephalosporins by CTX-M enzymes induced subtle changes in the active site and established a high density of electrostatic interactions. Interestingly, the product of the catalytic reaction initiates its own release because of steric hindrances and electrostatic repulsions. This suggests that there exists a general mechanism for product release for all members of the beta-lactamase family and probably for most carboxypeptidases.

An antibiotic-resistance enzyme from a deep-sea bacterium

We describe herein a highly proficient class A beta-lactamase OIH-1 from the bacterium Oceanobacillus iheyensis, whose habitat is the sediment at a depth of 1050 m in the Pacific Ocean. The OIH-1 structure was solved by molecular replacement and refined at 1.25 A resolution. OIH-1 has evolved to be an extremely halotolerant beta-lactamase capable of hydrolyzing its substrates in the presence of NaCl at saturating concentration. Not only is this the most highly halotolerant bacterial enzyme structure known to date, it is also the highest resolution halophilic protein structure yet determined. Evolution of OIH-1 in the salinity of the ocean has resulted in a molecular surface that is coated with acidic residues, a marked difference from beta-lactamases of terrestrial sources. OIH-1 is the first example of an antibiotic-resistance enzyme that has evolved in the depths of the ocean in isolation from clinical selection and gives us an extraordinary glimpse into protein evolution under extreme conditions. It represents evidence for the existence of a reservoir of antibiotic-resistance enzymes in nature among microbial populations from deep oceanic sources.

Molecular identification of CTX-M and blaOXY/K1 beta-lactamase genes in Enterobacteriaceae by sequencing of universal M13-sequence tagged PCR-amplicons

Background

Plasmid encoded ^blaCTX-M enzymes represent an important sub-group of class A β-lactamases causing the ESBL phenotype which is increasingly found in Enterobacteriaceae including Klebsiella spp. Molecular typing of clinical ESBL-isolates has become more and more important for prevention of the dissemination of ESBL-producers among nosocomial environment.

Methods

Multiple displacement amplified DNA derived from 20 K. pneumoniae and 34 K. oxytoca clinical isolates with an ESBL-phenotype was used in a universal CTX-M PCR amplification assay. Identification and differentiation of ^blaCTX-M and ^blaOXY/K1 sequences was obtained by DNA sequencing of M13-sequence-tagged CTX-M PCR-amplicons using a M13-specific sequencing primer.

Results

Nine out of 20 K. pneumoniae clinical isolates had a ^blaCTX-M genotype. Interestingly, we found that the universal degenerated primers also amplified the chromosomally located K1-gene in all 34 K. oxytoca clinical isolates. Molecular identification and differentiation between ^blaCTX-M and ^blaOXY/K1-genes could only been achieved by sequencing of the PCR-amplicons. In silico analysis revealed that the universal degenerated CTX-M primer-pair used here might also amplify the chromosomally located ^blaOXY and K1-genes in Klebsiella spp. and K1-like genes in other Enterobacteriaceae.

Conclusion

The PCR-based molecular typing method described here enables a rapid and reliable molecular identification of ^blaCTX-M, and ^blaOXY/K1-genes. The principles used in this study could also be applied to any situation in which antimicrobial resistance genes would need to be sequenced.

Crystal structure and activity studies of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis beta-lactamase reveal its critical role in resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics

beta-Lactam antibiotics are extremely effective in disrupting the synthesis of the bacterial cell wall in both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. However, they are ineffective against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, due to the production of a beta-lactamase enzyme encoded on the chromosome of M. tuberculosis that degrades these antibiotics. Indeed, recent studies have demonstrated that deletion of the blaC gene, the only gene encoding a beta-lactamase in M. tuberculosis, or inhibition of the encoded enzyme resulted in significantly increased sensitivity to beta-lactam antibiotics. In this paper we present a biochemical and structural characterization of M. tuberculosis BlaC. Recombinant BlaC shows a broad range of specificity with almost equal penicillinase and cepholothinase activity. While clavulanate is a mechanism-based inhibitor to class A beta-lactamase with high potency (typically K(i) < 0.1 microM), it is a relatively poor inhibitor of the M. tuberculosis BlaC (K(i) = 2.4 microM). The crystal structure of the enzyme, determined at a resolution of 1.7 A, shows that the overall fold of the M. tuberculosis enzyme is similar to other class A beta-lactamases. There are, however, several distinct features of the active site, such as the amino acid substitutions N132G, R164A, R244A, and R276E, that explain the broad specificity of the enzyme, relatively low penicillinase activity, and resistance to clavulanate.

Crystal structure of the Mycobacterium fortuitum class A beta-lactamase: structural basis for broad substrate specificity

beta-Lactamases are the main cause of bacterial resistance to penicillins and cephalosporins. Class A beta-lactamases, the largest group of beta-lactamases, have been found in many bacterial strains, including mycobacteria, for which no beta-lactamase structure has been previously reported. The crystal structure of the class A beta-lactamase from Mycobacterium fortuitum (MFO) has been solved at 2.13-A resolution. The enzyme is a chromosomally encoded broad-spectrum beta-lactamase with low specific activity on cefotaxime. Specific features of the active site of the class A beta-lactamase from M. fortuitum are consistent with its specificity profile. Arg278 and Ser237 favor cephalosporinase activity and could explain its broad substrate activity. The MFO active site presents similarities with the CTX-M type extended-spectrum beta-lactamases but lacks a specific feature of these enzymes, the VNYN motif (residues 103 to 106), which confers on CTX-M-type extended-spectrum beta-lactamases a more efficient cefotaximase activity.

An Engineered Disulfide Bond between Residues 69 and 238 in Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase Toho-1 Reduces Its Activity toward Third-Generation Cephalosporins‡

Previous crystallographic structural analysis of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase Toho-1 predicted that the high flexibility of beta-strand B3, the region that contains a conserved KTG motif and forms one wall of the substrate-binding site, could be one of the key features contributing to Toho-1 activity toward third-generation cephalosporins. To investigate whether this possible flexibility really affects the substrate profile of this enzyme, two Toho-1 mutants have been produced, G238C and G238C/G239in, in which the glycine residue at position 238 was replaced with a cysteine and an additional glycine residue was inserted. Our intent was to introduce a disulfide bond between the cysteine residues at positions 69 and 238, and thus to lock the position of beta-strand B3. The results of 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid) (DTNB) titration indicated formation of a new disulfide bridge in the G238C mutant, although disulfide bond formation was not confirmed in the G238C/G239in mutant. Kinetic analysis showed that the activity of the G238C mutant decreased drastically against third-generation cephalosporins, while its catalytic efficiency against penicillins and first-generation cephalosporins was almost identical to that of the wild-type enzyme. This result was consistent with the prediction that flexibility in beta-strand B3 was critical for activity against third-generation cephalosporins in Toho-1. Furthermore, we have determined the crystal structure of the G238C mutant enzyme to analyze the structural changes in detail. The structural model clearly shows the introduction of a new disulfide bridge and that there is no appreciable difference between the overall structures of the wild-type enzyme and the G238C mutant, although the introduced disulfide bond slightly influenced the positions of Ser237 on beta-strand B3 and Asn170 on the Omega loop. The results of our kinetic and structural analyses suggest that the flexibility of beta-strand B3, as well as the positions of Ser237 and the Omega loop, is critical for the substrate specificity expansion of Toho-1.

Crystal structure of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase Toho-1: insights into the molecular mechanism for catalytic reaction and substrate specificity expansion

The crystallographic structure of the class A beta-lactamase Toho-1, an extended-spectrum beta-lactamase with potent activity against expanded-spectrum cephems, has been determined at 1.65 A resolution. The result reveals that the Lys73 side chain can adopt two alternative conformations. The predominant conformation of Lys73 is different from that observed in the E166A mutant, indicating that removal of the Glu166 side chain changes the conformation of the Lys73 side chain and thus the interaction between Lys73 and Glu166. The Lys73 side chain would play an important role in proton relay, switching its conformation from one to the other depending on the circumstances. The electron density map also implies possible rotation of Ser237. Comparison of the Toho-1 structure with the structure of other class A beta-lactamases shows that the hydroxyl group of Ser237 is likely to rotate through interaction with the carboxyl group of the substrate. Another peculiarity is the existence of three sulfate ions positioned in or near the substrate-binding cavity. One of these sulfate ions is tightly bound to the active center, while the other two are held by a region of positive charge formed by two arginine residues, Arg274 and Arg276. This positively charged region is speculated to represent a pseudo-binding site of the beta-lactam antibiotics, presumably catching the methoxyimino group of the third-generation cephems prior to proper binding in the substrate-binding cleft for hydrolysis. This high-resolution structure, together with detailed kinetic analysis of Toho-1, provides a new hypothesis for the catalytic mechanism and substrate specificity of Toho-1.

Ultrahigh resolution structure of a class A beta-lactamase: on the mechanism and specificity of the extended-spectrum SHV-2 enzyme

Bacterial beta-lactamases hydrolyze beta-lactam antibiotics such as penicillins and cephalosporins. The TEM-type class A beta-lactamase SHV-2 is a natural variant that exhibits activity against third-generation cephalosporins normally resistant to hydrolysis by class A enzymes. SHV-2 contains a single Gly238Ser change relative to the wild-type enzyme SHV-1. Crystallographic refinement of a model including hydrogen atoms gave R and R(free) of 12.4% and 15.0% for data to 0.91 A resolution. The hydrogen atom on the O(gamma) atom of the reactive Ser70 is clearly seen for the first time, bridging to the water molecule activated by Glu166. Though hydrogen atoms on the nearby Lys73 are not seen, this observation of the Ser70 hydrogen atom and the hydrogen bonding pattern around Lys73 indicate that Lys73 is protonated. These findings support a role for the Glu166-water couple, rather than Lys73, as the general base in the deprotonation of Ser70 in the acylation process of class A beta-lactamases. Overlay of SHV-2 with SHV-1 shows a significant 1-3 A displacement in the 238-242 beta-strand-turn segment, making the beta-lactam binding site more open to newer cephalosporins with large C7 substituents and thereby expanding the substrate spectrum of the variant enzyme. The OH group of the buried Ser238 side-chain hydrogen bonds to the main-chain CO of Asn170 on the Omega loop, that is unaltered in position relative to SHV-1. This structural role for Ser238 in protein-protein binding makes less likely its hydrogen bonding to oximino cephalosporins such as cefotaxime or ceftazidime.

Acyl-intermediate structures of the extended-spectrum class A beta-lactamase, Toho-1, in complex with cefotaxime, cephalothin, and benzylpenicillin

Bacterial resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics is a serious problem limiting current clinical therapy. The most common form of resistance is the production of beta-lactamases that inactivate beta-lactam antibiotics. Toho-1 is an extended-spectrum beta-lactamase that has acquired efficient activity not only to penicillins but also to cephalosporins including the expanded-spectrum cephalosporins that were developed to be stable in former beta-lactamases. We present the acyl-intermediate structures of Toho-1 in complex with cefotaxime (expanded-spectrum cephalosporin), cephalothin (non-expanded-spectrum cephalosporin), and benzylpenicillin at 1.8-, 2.0-, and 2.1-A resolutions, respectively. These structures reveal distinct features that can explain the ability of Toho-1 to hydrolyze expanded-spectrum cephalosporins. First, the Omega-loop of Toho-1 is displaced to avoid the steric contacts with the bulky side chain of cefotaxime. Second, the conserved residues Asn(104) and Asp(240) form unique interactions with the bulky side chain of cefotaxime to fix it tightly. Finally, the unique interaction between the conserved Ser(237) and cephalosporins probably helps to bring the beta-lactam carbonyl group to the suitable position in the oxyanion hole, thus increasing the cephalosporinase activity.