Characterization of an Enterococcus hirae penicillin-binding protein 3 with low penicillin affinity

Stochastic establishment of β-lactam-resistant Escherichia coli mutants reveals conditions for collective resistance

For antibiotic resistance to arise, new resistant mutants must establish in a bacterial population before they can spread via natural selection. Comprehending the stochastic factors that influence mutant establishment is crucial for a quantitative understanding of antibiotic resistance emergence. Here, we quantify the single-cell establishment probability of four Escherichia coli strains expressing β-lactamase alleles with different activity against the antibiotic cefotaxime, as a function of antibiotic concentration in both unstructured (liquid) and structured (agar) environments. We show that concentrations well below the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) can substantially hamper establishment, particularly for highly resistant mutants. While the pattern of establishment suppression is comparable in both tested environments, we find greater variability in establishment probability on agar. Using a simple branching model, we investigate possible sources of this stochasticity, including environment-dependent lineage variability, but cannot reject other possible causes. Lastly, we use the single-cell establishment probability to predict each strain's MIC in the absence of social interactions. We observe substantially higher measured than predicted MIC values, particularly for highly resistant strains, which indicates cooperative effects among resistant cells at large cell numbers, such as in standard MIC assays.

Antibiotic Breakdown by Susceptible Bacteria Enhances the Establishment of β-Lactam Resistant Mutants

For a better understanding of the evolution of antibiotic resistance, it is imperative to study the factors that determine the initial establishment of mutant resistance alleles. In addition to the antibiotic concentration, the establishment of resistance alleles may be affected by interactions with the surrounding susceptible cells from which they derive, for instance via the release of nutrients or removal of the antibiotic. Here, we investigate the effects of social interactions with surrounding susceptible cells on the establishment of Escherichia coli mutants with increasing β-lactamase activity (i.e., the capacity to hydrolyze β-lactam antibiotics) from single cells under the exposure of the antibiotic cefotaxime (CTX) on agar plates. We find that relatively susceptible cells, expressing a β-lactamase with very low antibiotic-hydrolyzing activity, increase the probability of mutant cells to survive and outgrow into colonies due to the active breakdown of the antibiotic. However, the rate of breakdown by the susceptible strain is much higher than expected based on its low enzymatic activity. A detailed theoretical model suggests that this observation may be explained by cell filamentation causing delayed lysis. While susceptible cells may hamper the spread of higher-resistant β-lactamase mutants at relatively high frequencies, our findings show that they promote their initial establishment.

The ponA gene of Enterococcus faecalis JH2-2 codes for a low-affinity class A penicillin-binding protein

A soluble derivative of the Enterococcus faecalis JH2-2 class A PBP1 (*PBP1) was overproduced and purified. It exhibited a glycosyltransferase activity on the Escherichia coli 14C-labeled lipid II precursor. As a DD- peptidase, it could hydrolyze thiolester substrates with efficiencies similar to those of other class A penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) and bind beta-lactams, but with k2/K (a parameter accounting for the acylation step efficiency) values characteristic of penicillin-resistant PBPs.

Redefining the role of psr in beta-lactam resistance and cell autolysis of Enterococcus hirae

The contribution of penicillin-binding protein 5 (PBP5) and the PBP5 synthesis repressor (Psr) to the beta-lactam resistance, growth, and cell autolysis of wild-type strain ATCC 9790 and resistant strain R40 of Enterococcus hirae was investigated by disruption or substitution of the corresponding pbp5 and psr genes by Campbell-type recombination. The resulting modifications were confirmed by hybridization and PCR. The low susceptibility of E. hirae to beta-lactams was confirmed to be largely dependent on the presence of PBP5. However, against all expectations, inactivation of psr in ATCC 9790 or complementation of R40 cells with psr did not modify the susceptibility to benzylpenicillin or the growth and cell autolysis rates. These results indicated that the psr gene does not seem to be involved in the regulation of PBP5 synthesis and consequently in beta-lactam resistance or in the regulation of cell autolysis in E. hirae.

Genetic linkage between erm(B) and vanA in Enterococcus hirae of poultry origin

Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) have frequently been isolated from Norwegian poultry production following the prohibition of the glycopeptide growth promoter avoparcin since 1995. In the present study, a close genetic linkage between the vanA and erm(B) determinants in an Enterococcus hirae isolate of poultry origin is demonstrated, a result that indicates a mechanism for co-selection and maintenance of vancomycin resistance in absence of selective pressure from avoparcin. A total of 36 vanA-positive enterococci of poultry origin, also phenotypically resistant to erythromycin and/or tetracycline, were analyzed by PCR for identification of erm and tet resistance determinants. An E. hirae isolate harbored erm(B) and tet(K), and in this isolate vanA and erm(B) were located on a BamHI fragment of an approximately 50-kb plasmid. Approximately 3 kb of this fragment was amplified by PCR with vanA and erm(B) primers. Sequence analysis of the region between erm(B) and vanZ of Tn1546 showed a truncated IS1216V inserted downstream of the erm(B) stop codon, aligned with a conserved copy of the 3'-inverted terminal repeat of Tn1546. Mating experiments with the E. hirae isolate as donor and E. faecalis JH2-2 as recipient did not result in any transconjugants, indicating that the vanA/erm(B)-carrying plasmid was nonconjugative under the given experimental conditions.

The penicillin resistance of Enterococcus faecalis JH2-2r results from an overproduction of the low-affinity penicillin-binding protein PBP4 and does not involve a psr-like gene

A penicillin-resistant mutant, JH2-2r (MIC 75 microg ml(-1)), was isolated from Enterococcus faecalis JH2-2 (MIC 5 microg ml(-1)) by successive passages on plates containing increasing concentrations of benzylpenicillin. A comparison of the penicillin-binding protein (PBP) profiles in the two strains revealed a more intensely labelled PBP4 in JH2-2r. Because the sequences of the JH2-2 and JH2-2r pbp4 genes were strictly identical, even in their promoter regions, this intensive labelling could only be associated with an overproduction of the low-affinity PBP4. No psr gene analogous to that proposed to act as a regulator of PBP5 synthesis in Enterococcus hirae and Enterococcus faecium could be identified in the vicinity of pbp4 in E. faecalis JH2-2 and JH2-2r. However, a psr-like gene distant from pbp4 was identified. The cloning and sequencing of that psr-like gene from both E. faecalis strains indicated that they were identical. It is therefore postulated that the PBP4 overproduction in E. faecalis JH2-2r results from the modification of an as yet unidentified factor.

Intrinsic penicillin resistance in enterococci

Penicillin resistance development in enterococci has been associated with overproduction of a low-affinity penicillin-binding protein (PBP) that is a normal component of the PBP pattern of these bacteria and is apparently able to substitute the functions of the other PBPs. In resistant mutants of Enterococcus hirae ATCC 9790 the low-affinity PBP (PBP5) overproduction was associated with a deletion in a genetic element, located 1 kb upstream of the pbp5 gene, which negatively controlled PBP5 synthesis. Hypersusceptibility to penicillin was associated with a point mutation in the pbp5 gene, which causes premature termination of translation. Structural homologies between low-affinity PBPs of the different enterococcal species have been suggested by cross-reactivity of antibodies raised against E. hirae PBP5 with PBP5 of Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faecalis. Acquisition of a high-level ampicillin resistance in E. faecium was associated with overproduction of PBP5, which, compared with PBP5 of moderately resistant strains, appeared to be modified in its penicillin-binding capability. The modified phenotype of PBP5 was found to be associated to some amino acid substitutions in the region between the SDN and KTG motifs. In particular, the substitution converting a polar residue (T) in a nonpolar one (A or I) could play an important role in remodeling the penicillin-binding domain and determining the decrease in penicillin affinity.

The division and cell wall gene cluster of Enterococcus hirae S185

A chromosomal 10355-bp segment of Enterococcus hirae S185 contains nine orfs which occur in the same order as the MraW-, FtsL-, PBP3-, MraY-, MurD-, MurG-, FtsQ-, FtsA- and FtsZ-encoding genes of the division and cell wall clusters of Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis. The E. hirae DNA segment lacks the genes which in E. coli encode the ligases Ddl, MurC, MurE and MurF and the integral membrane protein FtsW. The encoded E. hirae and E. coli proteins share 25% to 50% identity except FtsL and FtsQ (approximately = 14% identity).

The PBP 5 synthesis repressor (psr) gene of Enterococcus hirae ATCC 9790 is substantially longer than previously reported

A reexamination of the nucleotide sequence of the psr gene of Enterococcus hirae revealed the presence of two additional nucleotides at residues 1190 and 1191. As a result, instead of a stop codon after 148 aa, the psr gene product would contain 293 aa residues. The revised size of the gene product was confirmed by subsequently cloning and expressing the psr gene in Escherichia coli. The derived amino acid sequence of the revised psr gene product was found to be similar to several other proteins in the combined GenBank/EMBL database. The protein products of some of these genes are thought to play regulatory role(s) in exo or capsular polysaccharide synthesis and/or in cell wall metabolism. All the putative homologs of the revised Psr appear to have a putative membrane-anchoring domain at their N-termini. Amino acid blocks with high degrees of similarity have been identified in the aligned sequences, and it is suggested that these common motifs could be of structural or functional importance.

The gene encoding the low-affinity penicillin-binding protein 3r in Enterococcus hirae S185R is borne on a plasmid carrying other antibiotic resistance determinants

Two plasmid-derived NcoI DNA fragments of 14 and 4.5 kb, respectively, have been isolated from the multidrug-resistant strain Enterococcus hirae S185R and analyzed. The 14-kb fragment contains two inverted (L and R) IS1216 insertion modules of the ISS1 family. These modules define a Tn5466 transposon-like structure that contains one copy of the methylase-encoding ermAM conferring erythromycin resistance and one copy of the adenylyl-transferase-encoding aadE conferring streptomycin resistance. Immediately on the left side of IS1216L there occurs a copy of pbp3r encoding the low-affinity penicillin-binding protein (PBP) PBP3r, itself preceded by a psr-like gene (psr3r) that controls the synthesis of PBP3r. ermAM, aadE, and the transposase gene (tnp) of IS1216R have the same polarities, and these are opposite those of psr3r, pbp3r, and the tnp gene of IS1216L. The 4.5-kb fragment is a copy of the 4.5-kb sequence at the 5' end of the 14-kb fragment, although it is not a restriction product of the 14-kb fragment. It contains three genes with the same polarity: psr3r, pbp3r, and tnp in an IS1216 element. Because of the very high degree of identity (99%) with the chromosomal psrfm and pbp5fm genes of Enterococcus faecium D63R, it is proposed that both the psr3r and pbp3r genes were transferred from an E.faecium strain and inserted in a plasmid of E. hirae. E. hirae is the first known bacterial species in which a low-affinity PBP-encoding gene has been found to be plasmid borne.

Molecular analysis of a beta-lactam resistance gene encoded within the cephamycin gene cluster of Streptomyces clavuligerus

A Streptomyces clavuligerus gene (designated pcbR) which is located immediately downstream from the gene encoding isopenicillin N synthase in the cephamycin gene cluster was characterized. Nucleotide sequence analysis and database searching of PcbR identified a significant similarity between PcbR and proteins belonging to the family of high-molecular-weight group B penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs). Eight of nine boxes (motifs) conserved within this family of proteins are present in the PcbR protein sequence in the same order and with approximately the same spacing between them. When a mutant disrupted in pcbR was constructed by gene replacement, the resulting pcbR mutant exhibited a significant decrease in its resistance to benzylpenicillin and cephalosporins, indicating that pcbR is involved in beta-lactam resistance in this organism. Western blot (immunoblot) analysis of S. clavuligerus cell membranes using PcbR-specific antibodies suggested that PcbR is a membrane protein. PcbR was also present in cell membranes when expressed in Escherichia coli and was able to bind radioactive penicillin in a PBP assay, suggesting that PcbR is a PBP. When genomic DNAs from several actinomycetes were probed with pcbR, hybridization was observed to some but not all beta-lactam-producing actinomycetes.

Structure of the low-affinity penicillin-binding protein 5 PBP5fm in wild-type and highly penicillin-resistant strains of Enterococcus faecium

Among its penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs), Enterococcus faecium possesses a low-affinity PBP5, PBP5fm, which is the main target involved in beta-lactam resistance. A 7.7-kb EcoRI chromosomal fragment of E. faecium D63r containing the pbp5fm gene was cloned and sequenced. Two open reading frames (ORFs) were found. A 2,037-bp ORF encoded the deduced 73.8-kDa PBP5fm, the amino acid sequences of which were, respectively, 99.8, 78.5, and 62% homologous to those of the low-affinity plasmid-encoded PBP3r of Enterococcus hirae S185r and the chromosome-encoded PBP5 of E. hirae R40 and Enterococcus faecalis 56R. A second 597-bp ORF, designated psrfm, was found 2.3 kb upstream of pbp5fm. It appeared to be 285 bp shorter than and 74% homologous with the regulatory gene psr of E. hirae ATCC 9790. Different clinical isolates of E. faecium, for which a wide range of benzylpenicillin MICs were observed, showed that the increases in MICs were related to two mechanisms. For some strains of intermediate resistance (MICs of 16 to 64 micrograms/ml), the increased level of resistance could be explained by the presence of larger quantities of PBP5fm which had an affinity for benzylpenicillin (second-order rate constant of protein acylation [k+2/K] values of 17 to 25 M(-1) s(-1)) that remained unchanged. For the two most highly resistant strains, EFM-1 (MIC, 90 micrograms/ml) and H80721 (MIC, 512 micrograms/ml), the resistance was related to different amino acid substitutions yielding very-low-affinity PBP5fm variants (k+2/K < or = 1.5 M(-1) s(-1)) which were synthesized in small quantities. More specifically, it appeared, with a three-dimensional model of the C-terminal domain of PBP5fm, that the substitutions of Met-485, located in the third position after the conserved SDN triad, by Thr in EFM-1 and by Ala in H80721 were the most likely cause of the decreasing affinity of PBP5fm observed in these strains.

Mobilization of vancomycin resistance by transposon-mediated fusion of a VanA plasmid with an Enterococcus faecium sex pheromone-response plasmid

A striking feature of recent outbreaks of vancomycin-resistant (VmR) enterococci is the apparent horizontal dissemination of resistance determinants. The plasmids pHKK702 and pHKK703 from Enterococcus faecium clinical isolate R7 have been implicated in the conjugal transfer of VmR. pHKK702 is a 41-kb plasmid that contains an element indistinguishable from the glycopeptide-resistance transposon Tn1546. pHKK703 is an approx. 55-kb putative sex pheromone-response plasmid that is required for conjugative mobilization of pHKK702. During experiments in which strain R7 was used as a donor, a highly conjugative VmR transconjugant was isolated that formed constitutive cellular aggregates. Restriction analyses and DNA hybridizations revealed that the transconjugant harbored a single plasmid of approx. 92 kb and this plasmid (pHKK701) was composed of DNA from both pHKK702 and pHKK703. Results from DNA sequence analyses showed that a 39-kb composite transposon (Tn5506) from pHKK702 had inserted into pHKK703. The left end of Tn5506 contained a single insertion sequence (IS) element, IS1216V2, whereas the right end was composed of a tandem IS structure consisting of the novel 1065-bp IS1252 nested within an IS1216V1 element. Transposition of Tn5506 from pHKK702 to pHKK703 created an 8-bp target sequence duplication at the site of insertion and interrupted an ORF (ORFX) that was 91% identical to that of prgX, a gene proposed to negatively regulate sex pheromone response of the E.faecalis plasmid, pCF10. We propose that the interruption of ORFX by Tn5506 led to the constitutive cellular aggregation phenotype and thereby enhanced the efficiency with which VmR was transferred. Similar IS1216V-mediated transposition events may contribute to the horizontal spread of glycopeptide resistance among enterococci in nature.

Importance of the E-46-D-160 polypeptide segment of the non-penicillin-binding module for the folding of the low-affinity, multimodular class B penicillin-binding protein 5 of Enterococus hirae

Compared with the other class B multimodular penicillin- binding proteins (PBPs), the low-affinity PBP5 responsible for penicillin resistance in Enterococcus hirae R40, has an extended non-penicillin-binding module because of the presence of an approximately 110-amino-acid E-46(-)D-160 insert downstream from the membrane anchor. Expression of pbp5 genes lacking various parts of the insert-encoding region gives rise to proteins that are inert in terms of penicillin binding, showing that during folding of the PBP, the insert plays a role in the acquisition of a correct penicillin-binding configuration by the G-364(-)Q-678 carboxy-terminal module.

Modification of penicillin-binding protein 5 associated with high-level ampicillin resistance in Enterococcus faecium

High-level ampicillin resistance in Enterococcus faecium has been shown to be associated with the synthesis of a modified penicillin-binding protein 5 (PBP 5) which had apparently lost its penicillin-binding capability (R. Fontana, M. Aldegheri, M. Ligozzi, H. Lopez, A. Sucari, and G. Satta. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 38:1980-1983, 1994). The pbp5 gene of the highly resistant strain E. faecium 9439 was cloned and sequenced. The deduced amino acid sequence showed 77 and 54% homologies with the PBPs 5 of Enterococcus hirae and Enterococcus faecalis, respectively. A gene fragment coding for the C-terminal part of PBP 5 containing the penicillin-binding domain was also cloned from several E. faecium strains with different levels of ampicillin resistance. Sequence comparison revealed a few point mutations, some of which resulted in amino acid substitutions between SDN and KTG motifs in PBPs 5 of highly resistant strains. One of these converted a polar residue (the T residue at position 562 or 574) of PBP 5 produced by susceptible and moderately resistant strains into a nonpolar one (A or I). This alteration could be responsible for the altered phenotype of PBP 5 in highly resistant strains.

Synthesis, purification and kinetic properties of fluorescein-labelled penicillins

The synthesis and properties of six fluorescein-labelled penicillins are reported. The two isomers of fluoresceyl-glycyl-6-amino-penicillanic acid are probably the best compounds to use for detection of all the penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) present in a bacterial membrane preparation. However, the derivatives of ampicillin were much more efficient against Enterobacter aerogenes PBP3. The two isomers obtained when a commercial mixture of the two isomers of carboxyfluorescein was used most often exhibited similar properties, but the Streptomyces R61 extracellular DD-peptidase was only efficiently acylated by the 5'-carboxyfluorescein derivative of glycyl-6-aminopenicillanic acid.

Penicillin-binding protein 2x of Streptococcus pneumoniae: enzymic activities and interactions with beta-lactams

The high-molecular-mass penicillin-binding protein (PBP) 2x, one of the primary targets of beta-lactam antibiotics in Streptococcus pneumoniae, has been produced as a soluble form and purified in large amounts. It has been shown to catalyse hydrolysis and transfer reactions with different ester and thiolester substrates and its catalytic behaviour was often similar to that of the soluble DD-peptidase from Streptomyces R61. This provided an easy method to monitor the activity of the PBP. For the first time, a reliable kinetic study of the interaction between a lethal target and beta-lactam antibiotics has been performed. Characteristic kinetic parameters were obtained with different beta-lactam compounds. These results not only validated the mechanism established with non-essential extracellular enzymes, but will also constitute the basis for comparative studies of the low-affinity variants from penicillin-resistant strains.

Cloning and sequencing of the low-affinity penicillin-binding protein 3r-encoding gene of Enterococcus hirae S185: modular design and structural organization of the protein

The clinical isolate Enterococcus hirae S185 has a peculiar mode of resistance to penicillin in that it possesses two low-affinity penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs): the 71-kDa PBP5, also found in other enterococci, and the 77-kDa PBP3r. The two PBPs have the same low affinity for the drug and are immunochemically related to each other. The PBP3r-encoding gene has been cloned and sequenced, and the derived amino acid sequence has been compared by computer-assisted hydrophobic cluster analysis with that of the low-affinity PBP5 of E. hirae R40, the low-affinity PBP2' of Staphylococcus aureus, and the PBP2 of Escherichia coli used as the standard of reference of the high-M(r) PBPs of class B. On the basis of the shapes, sizes, and distributions of the hydrophobic and nonhydrophobic clusters along the sequences and the linear amino acid alignments derived from this analysis, the dyad PBP3r-PBP5 has an identity index of 78.5%, the triad PBP3r-PBP5-PBP2' has an identity index of 29%, and the tetrad PBP3r-PBP5-PBP2'-PBP2 (of E. coli) has an identity index of 13%. In spite of this divergence, the low-affinity PBPs are of identical modular design and possess the nine amino acid groupings (boxes) typical of the N-terminal and C-terminal domains of the high-M(r) PBPs of class B. At variance with the latter PBPs, however, the low-affinity PBPs have an additional approximately 110-amino-acid polypeptide stretch that is inserted between the amino end of the N-terminal domain and the carboxy end of the membrane anchor. While the enterococcal PBP5 gene is chromosome borne, the PBP3r gene appears to be physically linked to the erm gene, which confers resistance to erythromycin and is known to be plasmid borne in almost all the Streptococcus spp. examined.

Identification of a genetic element (psr) which negatively controls expression of Enterococcus hirae penicillin-binding protein 5

Enterococcus hirae ATCC 9790 produces a penicillin-binding protein (PBP5) of low penicillin affinity which under certain conditions can take over the functions of all the other PBPs. The 7.1-kb EcoRI fragment containing the pbp5 gene of this strain and of two mutants, of which one (E. hirae R40) overproduces PBP5 and the other (E. hirae Rev14) does not produce PBP5, was cloned in pUC18 and sequenced. In the 7.1-kb EcoRI fragment cloned from strain ATCC 9790, an open reading frame (psr) potentially encoding a 19-kDa protein was identified 1 kb upstream of the pbp5 gene. An 87-bp deletion in this element was found in the 7.1-kb EcoRI fragment cloned from strains R40 and Rev14. In addition, several base substitutions were found in the pbp5 genes of strains R40 and Rev14. One of these converted the 42nd codon, TCA, to the stop codon, TAA, in the pbp5 gene of Rev14. Escherichia coli strains were transformed with plasmids carrying the 7.1-kb EcoRI insert or a 2.6-kb HincII insert containing only the pbp5 gene of the three strains. Immunoblotting analysis of proteins expressed by these transformants showed that the 87-bp deletion in psr was associated with the PBP5 overproducer phenotype of strain R40 and the conversion of the TCA codon to the stop codon was associated with the PBP5 nonproducer phenotype of strain Rev14. None of the other nucleotide substitutions had any apparent effect on the level of PBP5 synthesized.

Purification and partial characterization of a penicillin-binding protein from Mycobacterium smegmatis

Penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs), although characterized from several organisms, have so far not been studied in mycobacteria. The present study is the first characterization of a PBP from Mycobacterium smegmatis. The PBP was purified by solubilization of the membranes with Triton X-100 and successive chromatography of the solubilized proteins on ampicillin-linked CH Sepharose 4B and DE-52. The purified PBP (M(r), 49,500) catalyzed a model transpeptidase reaction with the tripeptide acetyl2-L-Lys-D-Ala-D-Ala as the substrate and Gly-Gly as the acceptor. The transpeptidase activity was inhibited by 50% at a benzylpenicillin concentration of 1.8 x 10(-7) M, which was similar to the concentration (1.1 x 10(-7) M) of benzylpenicillin required to saturate to 50% this PBP. Of several antibiotics tested, the concentration of antibiotic required to inhibit [35S]penicillin binding by 90% was found to be the lowest for cefoxitin and Sch 34343.

The Enterococcus hirae R40 penicillin-binding protein 5 and the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus penicillin-binding protein 2' are similar

The penicillin-resistant Enterococcus hirae R40 has a typical profile of membrane-bound penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) except that the 71 kDa PBP5 of low penicillin affinity represents about 50% of all the PBPs present. Water-soluble tryptic-digest peptides were selectively produced from PBP5, their N-terminal regions were sequenced and synthetic oligonucleotides were used as primers to generate a 476 bp DNA fragment by polymerase chain reaction. On the basis of these data, the PBP5-encoding gene was cloned in Escherichia coli by using pBR322 as vector. The gene, included in a 7.1 kb insert, had the information for a 678-amino acid-residue protein. PBP5 shows similarity, in the primary structure, with the high-molecular-mass PBPs of class B. In particular, amino acid alignment of the enterococcal PBP5 and the methicillin-resistant staphylococcal PBP2' generates scores that are 30, for the N-terminal domains, and 53, for the C-terminal domains, standard deviations above that expected for a run of 20 randomized pairs of proteins having the same amino acid compositions as the two proteins under consideration.

Acyltransferase activities of the high-molecular-mass essential penicillin-binding proteins

The high-molecular-mass penicillin-binding proteins (HMM-PBPs), present in the cytoplasmic membranes of all eubacteria, are involved in important physiological events such as cell elongation, septation or shape determination. Up to now it has, however, been very difficult or impossible to study the catalytic properties of the HMM-PBPs in vitro. With simple substrates, we could demonstrate that several of these proteins could catalyse the hydrolysis of some thioesters or the transfer of their acyl moiety on the amino group of a suitable acceptor nucleophile. Many of the acyl-donor substrates were hippuric acid or benzoyl-D-alanine derivatives, and their spectroscopic properties enabled a direct monitoring of the enzymic reaction. In their presence, the binding of radioactive penicillin to the PBPs was also inhibited.

Mode of membrane insertion and sequence of a 32-amino acid peptide stretch of the penicillin-binding protein 4 of Enterococcus hirae

Analysis of water-soluble derivatives of the Enterococcus hirae 75-kDa membrane-bound penicillin-binding protein 4 (PBP4) has yielded the amino acid sequence of a 32-amino acid polypeptide stretch. This peptide is similar to peptide segments known to occur in the N-terminal domain of high-Mr PBPs of class B. The E. hirae PBP4 probably belongs to the same class. It is anchored in the membrane at the N-terminus of the polypeptide chain.