Penam sulfones and β-lactamase inhibition: SA2-13 and the importance of the C2 side chain length and composition

Structural comparison of substrate-binding pockets of serine β-lactamases in classes A, C, and D

β-lactams have been the most successful antibiotics, but the rise of multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria threatens their effectiveness. Serine β-lactamases (SBLs), among the most common causes of resistance, are classified as A, C, and D, with numerous variants complicating structural and substrate spectrum comparisons. This study compares representative SBLs of these classes, focusing on the substrate-binding pocket (SBP). SBP is kidney bean-shaped on the indented surface, formed mainly by loops L1, L2, and L3, and an additional loop Lc in class C. β-lactams bind in a conserved orientation, with the β-lactam ring towards L2 and additional rings towards the space between L1 and L3. Structural comparison shows each class has distinct SBP structures, but subclasses share a conserved scaffold. The SBP structure, accommodating complimentary β-lactams, determines the substrate spectrum of SBLs. The systematic comparison of SBLs, including structural compatibility between β-lactams and SBPs, will help understand their substrate spectrum.

Inhibition of the Clostridioides difficile Class D β-Lactamase CDD-1 by Avibactam

Avibactam is a potent diazobicyclooctane inhibitor of class A and C β-lactamases. The inhibitor also exhibits variable activity against some class D enzymes from Gram-negative bacteria; however, its interaction with recently discovered class D β-lactamases from Gram-positive bacteria has not been studied. Here, we describe microbiological, kinetic, and mass spectrometry studies of the interaction of avibactam with CDD-1, a class D β-lactamase from the clinically important pathogen Clostridioides difficile, and show that avibactam is a potent irreversible mechanism-based inhibitor of the enzyme. X-ray crystallographic studies at three time-points demonstrate the rapid formation of a stable CDD-1-avibactam acyl-enzyme complex and highlight differences in the anchoring of the inhibitor by class D enzymes from Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.

Influence of substrates and inhibitors on the structure of Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase-2

The hydrolysis of last resort carbapenem antibiotics by Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase-2 (KPC-2) presents a significant danger to global health. Combined with horizontal gene transfer, the emergence KPC-2 threatens to quickly expand carbapenemase activity to ever increasing numbers of pathogens. Our understanding of KPC-2 has greatly increased over the past decade thanks, in great part, to 20 crystal structures solved by groups around the world. These include apo KPC-2 structures, along with structures featuring a library of 10 different inhibitors representing diverse structural and functional classes. Herein we focus on cataloging the available KPC-2 structures and presenting a discussion of key aspects of each structure and important relationships between structures. Although the available structures do not provide information on dynamic motions with KPC-2, and the family of structures indicates small conformational changes across a wide array of bound inhibitors, substrates, and products, the structures provide a strong foundation for additional studies in the coming years to discover new KPC-2 inhibitors.

Impact statement

The work herein is important to the field as it provides a clear and succinct accounting of available KPC-2 structures. The work advances the field by collecting and analyzing differences and similarities across the available structures. This work features new analyses and interpretations of the existing structures which will impact the field in a positive way by making structural insights more widely available among the beta-lactamase community.

Computational analysis of the interactions of a novel cephalosporin derivative with β-lactamases

Background

One of the main concerns of the modern medicine is the frightening spread of antimicrobial resistance caused mainly by the misuse of antibiotics. The researchers worldwide are actively involved in the search for new classes of antibiotics, and for the modification of known molecules in order to face this threatening problem. We have applied a computational approach to predict the interactions between a new cephalosporin derivative containing an additional β-lactam ring with different substituents, and several serine β-lactamases representative of the different classes of this family of enzymes.

Results

The results of the simulations, performed by using a covalent docking approach, has shown that this compound, although able to bind the selected β-lactamases, has a different predicted binding score for the two β-lactam rings, suggesting that one of them could be more resistant to the attack of these enzymes and stay available to perform its bactericidal activity.

Conclusions

The detailed analysis of the complexes obtained by these simulations suggests possible hints to modulate the affinity of this compound towards these enzymes, in order to develop new derivatives with improved features to escape to degradation.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12900-018-0092-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Targeting a hidden site on class A beta-lactamases

Increasing resistance against available orthosteric beta-lactamase inhibitors necessitates the search for novel and powerful inhibitor molecules. In this respect, allosteric inhibitors serve as attractive alternatives. Here, we examine the structural basis of inhibition in a hidden, druggable pocket in TEM-1 beta-lactamase. Based on crystallographic evidence that 6-cyclohexyl-1-hexyl-β-D-maltoside (CYMAL-6) binds to this site, first we determined the kinetic mechanism of inhibition by CYMAL-6. Activity measurements with CYMAL-6 showed that it competitively inhibits the wild type enzyme. Interestingly, it exhibits a steep dose-response curve with an IC50 of 100 μM. The IC50 value changes neither with different enzyme concentration nor with incubation of the enzyme with the inhibitor, showing that inhibition is not aggregation-based. The presence of the same concentrations of CYMAL-6 does not influence the activity of lactate dehydrogenase, further confirming the specificity of CYMAL-6 for TEM-1 beta-lactamase. Then, we identified compounds with high affinity to this allosteric site by virtual screening using Glide and Schrödinger Suite. Virtual screening performed with 500,000 drug like compounds from the ZINC database showed that top scoring compounds interact with the hydrophobic pocket that forms between H10 and H11 helices and with the catalytically important Arg244 residue through pi-cation interactions. Discovery of novel chemical scaffolds that target this allosteric site will pave the way for a new avenue in the design of new antimicrobials.

Exploring Additional Dimensions of Complexity in Inhibitor Design for Serine β-Lactamases: Mechanistic and Intra- and Inter-molecular Chemistry Approaches

As a bacterial resistance strategy, serine β-lactamases have evolved from cell wall synthesizing enzymes known as penicillin-binding proteins (PBP), by not only covalently binding β-lactam antibiotics but, also acquiring mechanisms of deacylating these antibiotics. This critical deacylation step leads to release of hydrolyzed and inactivated β-lactams, thereby providing resistance for the bacteria against these antibiotics targeting the cell wall. To combat β-lactamase-mediated antibiotic resistance, numerous β-lactamase inhibitors were developed that utilize various strategies to inactivate the β-lactamase. Most of these compounds are “mechanism-based” inhibitors that in some manner mimic the β-lactam substrate, having a carbonyl moiety and a negatively charged carboxyl or sulfate group. These compounds form a covalent adduct with the catalytic serine via an initial acylation step. To increase the life-time of the inhibitory covalent adduct intermediates, a remarkable array of different strategies was employed to improve inhibition potency. Such approaches include post-acylation intra- and intermolecular chemical rearrangements as well as affecting the deacylation water. These approaches transform the inhibitor design process from a 3-dimensional problem (i.e., XYZ coordinates) to one with additional dimensions of complexity as the reaction coordinate and time spent at each chemical state need to be taken into consideration. This review highlights the mechanistic intricacies of the design efforts of the β-lactamase inhibitors which so far have resulted in the development of “two generations” and 5 clinically available inhibitors.

Boronic Acid Transition State Inhibitors Active against KPC and Other Class A β-Lactamases: Structure-Activity Relationships as a Guide to Inhibitor Design

Boronic acid transition state inhibitors (BATSIs) are competitive, reversible β-lactamase inhibitors (BLIs). In this study, a series of BATSIs with selectively modified regions (R1, R2, and amide group) were strategically designed and tested against representative class A β-lactamases of Klebsiella pneumoniae, KPC-2 and SHV-1. Firstly, the R1 group of compounds 1a to 1c and 2a to 2e mimicked the side chain of cephalothin, whereas for compounds 3a to 3c, 4a, and 4b, the thiophene ring was replaced by a phenyl, typical of benzylpenicillin. Secondly, variations in the R2 groups which included substituted aryl side chains (compounds 1a, 1b, 1c, 3a, 3b, and 3c) and triazole groups (compounds 2a to 2e) were chosen to mimic the thiazolidine and dihydrothiazine ring of penicillins and cephalosporins, respectively. Thirdly, the amide backbone of the BATSI, which corresponds to the amide at C-6 or C-7 of β-lactams, was also changed to the following bioisosteric groups: urea (compound 3b), thiourea (compound 3c), and sulfonamide (compounds 4a and 4b). Among the compounds that inhibited KPC-2 and SHV-1 β-lactamases, nine possessed 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC50s) of ≤ 600 nM. The most active compounds contained the thiopheneacetyl group at R1 and for the chiral BATSIs, a carboxy- or hydroxy-substituted aryl group at R2. The most active sulfonamido derivative, compound 4b, lacked an R2 group. Compound 2b (S02030) was the most active, with acylation rates (k2/K) of 1.2 ± 0.2 × 10(4) M(-1) s(-1) for KPC-2 and 4.7 ± 0.6 × 10(3) M(-1) s(-1) for SHV-1, and demonstrated antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli DH10B carrying blaSHV variants and blaKPC-2 or blaKPC-3 and against clinical strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae and E. coli producing different class A β-lactamase genes. At most, MICs decreased from 16 to 0.5 mg/liter.

Antibiotic adjuvants: diverse strategies for controlling drug-resistant pathogens

The growing number of bacterial pathogens that are resistant to numerous antibiotics is a cause for concern around the globe. There have been no new broad-spectrum antibiotics developed in the last 40 years, and the drugs we have currently are quickly becoming ineffective. In this article, we explore a range of therapeutic strategies that could be employed in conjunction with antibiotics and may help to prolong the life span of these life-saving drugs. Discussed topics include antiresistance drugs, which are administered to potentiate the effects of current antimicrobials in bacteria where they are no longer (or never were) effective; antivirulence drugs, which are directed against bacterial virulence factors; host-directed therapies, which modulate the host's immune system to facilitate infection clearance; and alternative treatments, which include such therapies as oral rehydration for diarrhea, phage therapy, and probiotics. All of these avenues show promise for the treatment of bacterial infections and should be further investigated to explore their full potential in the face of a postantibiotic era.

Kinetic and Structural Characterization of the Interaction of 6-Methylidene Penem 2 with the β-Lactamase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is intrinsically resistant to most β-lactam antibiotics because of the constitutive expression of the blaC-encoded β-lactamase. This enzyme has extremely high activity against penicillins and cephalosporins, but weaker activity against carbapenems. The enzyme can be inhibited by clavulanate, avibactam, and boronic acids. In this study, we investigated the ability of 6-methylidene β-lactams to inhibit BlaC. One such compound, penem 2, inhibited BlaC more than 70 times more efficiently than clavulanate. The compound forms a covalent complex with BlaC as shown by mass spectrometry. Crystallization of the complex revealed that the bound inhibitor was covalently attached via the Ser70 active site residue and that the covalently, acylated form of the inhibitor had undergone additional chemistry yielding a 4,7-thiazepine ring in place of the β-lactam and a thiazapyroline ring generated as a result of β-lactam ring opening. The stereochemistry of the product of the 7-endo-trig cyclization was the opposite of that observed previously for class A and D β-lactamases. Addition of penem 2 greatly synergized the antibacterial properties of both ampicillin and meropenem against a growing culture of M. tuberculosis. Strikingly, penem 2 alone showed significant growth inhibition, suggesting that in addition to its capability of efficiently inhibiting BlaC, it also inhibited the peptidoglycan cross-linking transpeptidases.