Inducible class C beta-lactamases produced by psychrophilic bacteria

in FEMS Microbiology Letters (1998), 161

Site-Directed Mutagenesis of the Actinomadura R39 DD-Peptidase

in Biochemical Journal (1997), 327(2), 377-381

The role of various residues in the conserved structural elements of the Actinomadura R39 penicillin-sensitive dd-peptidase has been studied by site-directed mutagenesis. Replacement of Ser-298 of the ... [more ▼]

The role of various residues in the conserved structural elements of the Actinomadura R39 penicillin-sensitive dd-peptidase has been studied by site-directed mutagenesis. Replacement of Ser-298 of the 'SDN loop' by Ala or Gly significantly decreased the kcat/Km value for the peptide substrate, but only by a factor of 15 and had little effect on the other catalytic properties. Mutations of Asn-300 of the same loop and of Lys-410 of the KTG triad yielded very unstable proteins. However, the N300S mutant could be purified as a fusion protein with thioredoxin that exhibited decreased rates of acylation by the peptide substrate and various cephalosporins. Similar fusion proteins obtained with the N300A, K410H and K410N mutants were unstable and their catalytic and penicillin-binding properties were very strongly affected. In transpeptidation reactions, the presence of the acceptor influenced the kcat/Km values, which suggested a catalytic pathway more complex than a simple partition of the acyl-enzyme between hydrolysis and aminolysis. These results are compared with those obtained with two other penicillin-sensitive enzymes, the Streptomyces R61 dd-peptidase and Escherichia coli penicillin-binding protein (PBP) 5. [less ▲]

Unexpected Influence of a C-Terminal-Fused His-Tag on the Processing of an Enzyme and on the Kinetic and Folding Parameters

in FEBS Letters (1997), 413(2), 194-6

The addition of a poly-His C-terminal extension, designed to facilitate the purification of the protein, to the beta-lactamase of a thermophilic Bacillus licheniformis strain modified the site of action ... [more ▼]

The addition of a poly-His C-terminal extension, designed to facilitate the purification of the protein, to the beta-lactamase of a thermophilic Bacillus licheniformis strain modified the site of action of the signal peptidase. This resulted in the secretion of a protein with a different N-terminus, showing that this type of protein engineering might not always be as 'neutral' as generally assumed. [less ▲]

The Penicillin sensory transducer, blar, involved in the inducibility of beta-lactamase synthesis in bacillus licheniformis is embedded in the plasma membrane via a four-alpha-helix bundle

in Molecular Microbiology (1997), 23(5), 935-944

Prediction studies, conformational analyses and membrane-topology mapping lead to the conclusion that the penicillin sensory transducer, BlaR, involved in the inducibility of beta-lactamase synthesis in ... [more ▼]

Prediction studies, conformational analyses and membrane-topology mapping lead to the conclusion that the penicillin sensory transducer, BlaR, involved in the inducibility of beta-lactamase synthesis in Bacillus licheniformis, is embedded in the plasma membrane bilayer via four transmembrane segments TM1-TM4 that forma four-alpha-helix bundle. The extracellular 262-amino-acid-residue polypeptide, S340-R601, that is fused at the carboxy end of TM4, possesses the amino acid sequence signature of a penicilloyl serine transferase. It probably functions as penicillin sensor. As an independent entity, this polypeptide behaves as a high-affinity penicillin-binding protein. As a component of the full-size BlaR, it adopts a different conformation presumably because of interactions with the extracellular 63-amino-acid-residue P53-S115 loop that connects TM2 and TM3. Reception of the penicillin-induced signal requires a precise conformation of the sensor but it does not involve penicilloylation of the serine residue S402 of motif STYK. Signal transmission through the plasma membrane by the four-alpha-helix bundle may proceed in a way comparable to that of the aspartate receptor, Tar. Signal emission in the cytosol by the intracellular 189-amino-acid-residue Y134-K322 loop that connects TM3 and TM4, may proceed via the activation of a putative metallopeptidase. [less ▲]

Three hTIM mutants that provide new insights on why TIM is a dimer

in Journal of Molecular Biology (1996), 257(2), 441-56

Human triosephosphate isomerase (hTIM), a dimeric enzyme, was altered by site-directed mutagenesis in order to determine whether it can be dissociated into monomers. Two hTIM mutants were produced, in ... [more ▼]

Human triosephosphate isomerase (hTIM), a dimeric enzyme, was altered by site-directed mutagenesis in order to determine whether it can be dissociated into monomers. Two hTIM mutants were produced, in which a glutamine residue was substituted for either Met14 or Arg98, both of which are interface residuces. These substitutions strongly interfere with TIM subunit association, since these mutant TIMs appear to exist as compact monomers in dynamic equilibrium with dimers. In kinetic studies, the M14Q mutant exhibits significant catalytic activity, while the R98Q enzyme is inactive. The M14Q enzyme is nevertheless much less active than unmutated hTIM. Moreover, its specific activity is concentration dependent, suggesting a dissociation process in which the monomers are inactive. In order to determine the conformational stability of the wild-type and mutant hTIMs, unfolding of all three enzymes was monitored by circular dichroism and tryptophan fluorescence spectroscopy. In each case, protein stability is concentration dependent, and the unfolding reaction is compatible with a two-state model involving the native dimer and unfolded monomers. The conformational stability of hTIM, as estimated according to this model, is 19.3 (+/-0.4) kcal/mol. The M14Q and R98Q replacements significantly reduce enzyme stability, since the free energies of unfolding are 13.8 and 13.5 (+/- 0.3) kcal/mol respectively, for the mutants, A third mutant, in which the M14Q and R98Q replacements are cumulated, behaves like a monomer. The stability of this mutant is not concentration-dependent, and the unfolding reaction is assigned to a transition from a folded monomer to an unfolded monomer. The conformational stability of this double mutant is estimated 2.5 (+/-0.1) kcal/mol. All these data combined suggest that TIM monomers are thermodynamically unstable. This might explain why TIM occurs only as a dimer. [less ▲]

Saturation of Penicillin-Binding Protein 1 by Beta-Lactam Antibiotics in Growing Cells of Bacillus Licheniformis

in Molecular Microbiology (1995), 16(2), 365-72

With the help of a new highly sensitive method allowing the quantification of free penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) and of an integrated mathematical model, the progressive saturation of PBP1 by various ... [more ▼]

With the help of a new highly sensitive method allowing the quantification of free penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) and of an integrated mathematical model, the progressive saturation of PBP1 by various beta-lactam antibiotics in growing cells of Bacillus licheniformis was studied. Although the results confirmed PBP1 as a major lethal target for these compounds, they also underlined several weaknesses in our present understanding of this phenomenon. In growing cells, but not in resting cells, the penicillin target(s) appeared to be somewhat protected from the action of the inactivators. In vitro experiments indicated that amino acids, peptides and depsipeptides mimicking the peptide moiety of the nascent peptidoglycan significantly interfered with the acylation of PBP1 by the antibiotics. In addition, the level of PBP1 saturation at antibiotic concentrations corresponding to the minimum inhibitory concentrations was not constant, suggesting that additional, presently undiscovered, factors might be necessary to account for the experimental observations. [less ▲]

Contribution of Mutant Analysis to the Understanding of Enzyme Catalysis: The Case of Class a Beta-Lactamases

in Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (1995), 1246(2), 109-27

Class A beta-lactamases represent a family of well studied enzymes. They are responsible for many antibiotic resistance phenomena and thus for numerous failures in clinical chemotherapy. Despite the facts ... [more ▼]

Class A beta-lactamases represent a family of well studied enzymes. They are responsible for many antibiotic resistance phenomena and thus for numerous failures in clinical chemotherapy. Despite the facts that five structures are known at high resolution and that detailed analyses of enzymes modified by site-directed mutagenesis have been performed, their exact catalytic mechanism remains controversial. This review attempts to summarize and to discuss the many available data. [less ▲]

Streptomyces K15 active-site serine DD-transpeptidase: specificity profile for peptide, thiol ester and ester carbonyl donors and pathways of the transfer reactions.

in Biochemical Journal (1995), 307(Pt 2), 335-339

The Streptomyces K15 transferase is a penicillin-binding protein presumed to be involved in bacterial wall peptidoglycan crosslinking. It catalyses cleavage of the peptide, thiol ester or ester bond of ... [more ▼]

The Streptomyces K15 transferase is a penicillin-binding protein presumed to be involved in bacterial wall peptidoglycan crosslinking. It catalyses cleavage of the peptide, thiol ester or ester bond of carbonyl donors Z-R1-CONH-CHR2-COX-CHR3-COO- (where X is NH, S or O) and transfers the electrophilic group Z-R1-CONH-CHR2-CO to amino acceptors via an acyl-enzyme intermediate. Kinetic data suggest that the amino acceptor behaves as a simple alternative nucleophile at the level of the acyl-enzyme in the case of thiol ester and ester donors, and that it binds to the enzyme.carbonyl donor Michaelis complex and influences the rate of enzyme acylation by the carbonyl donor in the case of amide donors. Depending on the nature of the scissile bond, the enzyme has different requirements for substituents at positions R1, R2 and R3. [less ▲]

TEM1 beta-lactamase structure solved by molecular replacement and refined structure of the S235A mutant.

in Acta Crystallographica Section D-Biological Crystallography (1995), 51(Pt 5), 682-94

beta-Lactamases are bacterial enzymes which catalyse the hydrolysis of the beta-lactam ring of penicillins, cephalosporins and related compounds, thus inactivating these antibiotics. The crystal structure ... [more ▼]

beta-Lactamases are bacterial enzymes which catalyse the hydrolysis of the beta-lactam ring of penicillins, cephalosporins and related compounds, thus inactivating these antibiotics. The crystal structure of the TEM1 beta-lactamase has been determined at 1.9 A resolution by the molecular-replacement method, using the atomic coordinates of two homologous beta-lactamase refined structures which show about 36% strict identity in their amino-acid sequences and 1.96 A r.m.s. deviation between equivalent Calpha atoms. The TEM1 enzyme crystallizes in space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) and there is one molecule per asymmetric unit. The structure was refined by simulated annealing to an R-factor of 15.6% for 15 086 reflections with I >/= 2sigma(I) in the resolution range 5.0-1.9 A. The final crystallographic structure contains 263 amino-acid residues, one sulfate anion in the catalytic cleft and 135 water molecules per asymmetric unit. The folding is very similar to that of the other known class A beta-lactamases. It consists of two domains, the first is formed by a five-stranded beta-sheet covered by three alpha-helices on one face and one alpha-helix on the other, the second domain contains mainly alpha-helices. The catalytic cleft is located at the interface between the two domains. We also report the crystallographic study of the TEM S235A mutant. This mutation of an active-site residue specifically decreases the acylation rate of cephalosporins. This TEM S235A mutant crystallizes under the same conditions as the wild-type protein and its structure was refined at 2.0 A resolution with an R value of 17.6%. The major modification is the appearance of a water molecule near the mutated residue, which is incompatible with the OG 235 present in the wild-type enzyme, and causes very small perturbations in the interaction network in the active site. [less ▲]

Breakdown of the stereospecificity of DD-peptidases and beta-lactamases with thiolester substrates.

in Biochemical Journal (1995), 309 ( Pt 2)

With peptide analogues of their natural substrates (the glycopeptide units of nascent peptidoglycan), the DD-peptidases exhibit a strict preference for D-Ala-D-Xaa C-termini. Gly is tolerated as the C ... [more ▼]

With peptide analogues of their natural substrates (the glycopeptide units of nascent peptidoglycan), the DD-peptidases exhibit a strict preference for D-Ala-D-Xaa C-termini. Gly is tolerated as the C-terminal residue, but with a significantly decreased activity. These enzymes were also known to hydrolyse various ester and thiolester analogues of their natural substrates. Some thiolesters with a C-terminal leaving group that exhibited L stereochemistry were significantly hydrolysed by some of the enzymes, particularly the Actinomadura R39 DD-peptidase, but the strict specificity for a D residue in the penultimate position was fully retained. These esters and thiolesters also behave as substrates for beta-lactamases. In this case, thiolesters exhibiting L stereochemistry in the ultimate position could also be hydrolysed, mainly by the class-C and class-D enzymes. However, more surprisingly, the class-C Enterobacter cloacae P99 beta-lactamase also hydrolysed thiolesters containing an L residue in the penultimate position, sometimes with a higher efficiency than the D isomer. [less ▲]