Moreno Galleni

Standard Numbering Scheme for Class B β-Lactamases

Unlike for classes A and B, a standardized amino acid numbering scheme has not been proposed for the class C (AmpC) β-lactamases, which complicates communication in the field. Here, we propose a scheme developed through a collaborative approach that considers both sequence and structure, preserves traditional numbering of catalytically important residues (Ser64, Lys67, Tyr150, and Lys315), is adaptable to new variants or enzymes yet to be discovered and includes a variation for genetic and epidemiological applications.

Update of the Standard Numbering Scheme for Class B β-Lactamases

β-Lactamases represent the major cause of bacterial resistance against β-lactam antibiotics, and they have been divided into four classes (A to D) on the basis of their amino acid sequences (21). The class B enzymes have no sequence or structural similarity to the active-site serine enzymes of classes A, C, and D (6); require a bivalent metal ion (Zn2+) for activity; and constitute group 3 in the Bush-Jacoby-Medeiros functional classification (2). The identification of Zn-β-lactamase-producing pathogenic strains of Aeromonas, Bacteroides, Flavobacterium, Legionella, Serratia, and Stenotrophomonas has greatly increased interest in this class of enzymes (2). The fact that they hydrolyze almost all β-lactam antibiotics, including carbapenems, underlines their clinical relevance. In consequence, the potential spreading of these enzymes among pathogenic bacteria is a frightening possibility, which emphasizes the importance of understanding their properties. On the basis of the sequences, three subclasses of class B β-lactamases (B1 to B3) were identified, and a standard numbering scheme (BBL numbering) was proposed (13) by analogy to the ABL numbering scheme which has been widely used for class A β-lactamases. Due to the general low degree of identity between subclass sequences (<20%), classical alignment programs produce unreliable results. The proposed alignment (13) was facilitated by the availability of X-ray structures for B1 and B3 enzymes. Crystallographic structures have been described for several B1 enzymes: Bacillus cereus BcII (4, 11), Bacteroides fragilis CcrA (5, 8), Pseudomonas aeruginosa IMP-1 (7) and VIM-2 (unpublished data), and Chryseobacterium meningosepticum BlaB (14). Structural data are also available for two B3 enzymes: Stenotroptromonas maltophilia L1 (28) and Legionella gormanii FEZ-1 (15). Recently, we solved the first X-ray structure of a subclass B2 enzyme (CphA) produced by various species of Aeromonas (G. Garau, C. Bebrone, C. Anne, M. Galleni, J.-M. Frere, and O. Dideberg, unpublished data). Using all available three-dimensional structures, it is now possible to propose a bonafide structural alignment of the class B β-lactamases, and accordingly, to update the first proposed BBL scheme (Fig. ​(Fig.11). FIG. 1. Structural alignment of eight class B β-lactamases with known X-ray structures. The sequences are referred to by their familiar names. BCII, B. cereus 569H (16); IMP-1, P. aeruginosa 101/477 (17); CcrA, B. fragilis TAL3636 (25); VIM-2, P. aeruginosa ... For the three-dimensional structure comparison of the eight available structures, we used the program TOP (18) with the new option MAPS, allowing multiple alignments of protein structures. In addition, the program produces two ranking scores: the sequence identities of aligned residues and the structural diversity. The structural-diversity score was defined as RMS/(Nmatch/N0)3/2, where RMS is the root mean square deviation of the distances between matched Cα atoms, Nmatch is the number of matching residues, and (Nmatch/N0) is the matching fraction of two compared structures. N0 = (N1 + N2/2), where N1 and N2 are the numbers of amino acids in the two compared proteins. This score estimates the evolutionary distance between proteins. These two scores are shown in Table ​Table11 for all known X-ray structures. TABLE 1. Sequence identities of aligned residues and structure diversity among proteins Figure ​Figure11 displays the proposed alignment and numbering. Interestingly, the numbering of the important class B residues is conserved between old and new alignments. Improvements in the alignment concern mainly N and C termini and small shifts along the sequences. The main result of the new alignment is the identification of 14 sequence fragments of structurally conserved positions, which cover the entirety of all sequences (Fig. ​(Fig.1);1); they belong mainly to secondary-structure elements (α helices or β sheets). Notably, all Zn ligands are structurally aligned. The following comments can be made. (i) Only sequences of proteins of known structures are shown. (ii) For residues in lightface, the fact that they have the same number does not imply that they are structurally equivalent. (iii) For newly discovered enzymes, any insertion departing from the present numbering can be characterized by lowercase letters following the number of the last residue of the consensus sequence. Table ​Table22 shows the numbering of the putative zinc ligands. Not all proteins of known sequence are shown. Only enzymes with <50% sequence identity compared to the first reported sequence are included in the table. TABLE 2. Numbering of important class B residues In 1997, Neuwald et al. (23) detected a few proteins that have sequence similarities to (and may have given rise to) Zn-β-lactamases. They include enzymes with large variations in function (sulfatase; DNA cross-link repair enzyme) and which are encoded by yeast, plant, or bacterial open reading frames. Human glyoxalase II was also shown to belong to the superfamily. More recently, 17 groups with known functions were identified (9). In order to evaluate the structural diversity of the Zn-β-lactamase superfamily, human glyoxalase II (3) and rubredoxin oxygen-oxidoreductase from Desulfovibrio gigas (12) were also aligned using TOP, along with one member of each subclass. Table ​Table33 shows the sequence identities and structural diversity of the two proteins and BCII, CphA, and FEZ-1. As expected, low sequence identity corresponds to a high structural-diversity score. The structural-diversity scores for proteins belonging to a superfamily range from 1.4 to 2, in contrast to 3.5 to 4 for proteins with different folds (18). Interestingly and surprisingly, FEZ-1 is closer to glyoxalase II and rubredoxin oxygen-oxidoreductase than to BcII or CphA. TABLE 3. Sequence identities of aligned residues and structural diversity among proteins In the structural alignment, a large number of amino acid changes and insertions-deletions are observed. One hypothesis is that an ancient protein gave rise to the different subclasses of Zn-β-lactamases. A few candidates for the ancient protein are those related to essential biological functions within the cell, such as DNA or RNA processing or DNA repair (9). Nature used a limited number of scaffolds to generate a large variety of biological functions. Zn-β-lactamases are good examples of such a selection.

Chromosome-Encoded CTX-M-3 from Kluyvera ascorbata: a Possible Origin of Plasmid-Borne CTX-M-1-Derived Cefotaximases

ABSTRACT A gene identical to plasmid-borne blaCTX-M-3 is present in the chromosome of one Kluyvera ascorbata strain. It is associated with a structure including an inverted repeat right and an open reading frame 477-like gene probably involved in the mobilization of blaCTX-M-3. Two other K. ascorbata strains rendered the previously described blaKLUA-9 gene.

Current Challenges in Antimicrobial Chemotherapy

The use of the three classical β-lactamase inhibitors (clavulanic acid, tazobactam and sulbactam) in combination with β-lactam antibacterials is currently the most successful strategy to combat β-lactamase-mediated resistance. However, these inhibitors are efficient in inactivating only class A β-lactamases and the efficiency of the inhibitor/antibacterial combination can be compromised by several mechanisms, such as the production of naturally resistant class B or class D enzymes, the hyperproduction of AmpC or even the production of evolved inhibitor-resistant class A enzymes. Thus, there is an urgent need for the development of novel inhibitors. For serine active enzymes (classes A, C and D), derivatives of the β-lactam ring such as 6-β-halogenopenicillanates, β-lactam sulfones, penems and oxapenems, monobactams or trinems seem to be potential starting points to design efficient molecules (such as AM-112 and LK-157). Moreover, a promising non-β-lactam molecule, NXL-104, is now under clinical development. In contrast, an ideal inhibitor of metallo-β-lactamases (class B) remains to be found, despite the huge number of potential molecules already described (biphenyl tetrazoles, cysteinyl peptides, mercaptocarboxylates, succinic acid derivatives, etc.). The search for such an inhibitor is complicated by the absence of a covalent intermediate in their catalytic mechanisms and the fact that β-lactam derivatives often behave as substrates rather than as inhibitors. Currently, the most promising broad-spectrum inhibitors of class B enzymes are molecules presenting chelating groups (thiols, carboxylates, etc.) combined with an aromatic group.This review describes all the types of molecules already tested as potential β-lactamase inhibitors and thus constitutes an update of the current status in β-lactamase inhibitor discovery.

1.85 A resolution structure of the zinc (II) beta-lactamase from Bacillus cereus.

Class B beta-lactamases are wide spectrum enzymes which require bivalent metal ions for activity. The structure of the class B zinc-ion-dependent beta-lactamase from Bacillus cereus (BCII) has been refined at 1.85 A resolution using data collected on cryocooled crystals (100 K). The enzyme from B. cereus has a molecular mass of 24 946 Da and is folded into a beta-sandwich structure with helices on the external faces. The active site is located in a groove running between the two beta-sheets [Carfi et al. (1995). EMBO J. 14, 4914-4921]. The 100 K high-resolution BCII structure shows one fully and one partially occupied zinc sites. The zinc ion in the fully occupied site (the catalytic zinc) is coordinated by three histidines and one water molecule. The second zinc ion is at 3.7 A from the first one and is coordinated by one histidine, one cysteine, one aspartate and one unknown molecule (most likely a carbonate ion). In the B. cereus zinc beta-lactamase the affinity for the second metal-ion is low at the pH of crystallization (Kd = 25 mM, 293 K; [Baldwin et al. (1978). Biochem. J. 175, 441-447] and the dissociation constant of the second zinc ion was thus apparently decreased at the cryogenic temperature. In addition, the structure of the apo enzyme was determined at 2.5 A resolution. The removal of the zinc ion by chelating agents causes small changes in the active-site environment.

CENTA as a Chromogenic Substrate for Studying β-Lactamases

ABSTRACT CENTA, a chromogenic cephalosporin, is readily hydrolyzed by β-lactamases of all classes except for the Aeromonas hydrophila metalloenzyme. Although it cannot practically be used for the detection of β-lactamase-producing strains on agar plates, it should be quite useful for kinetic studies and the detection of the enzymes in crude extracts and chromatographic fractions.

Mercaptophosphonate Compounds as Broad-Spectrum Inhibitors of the Metallo-β-lactamases

Although commercialized inhibitors of active site serine beta-lactamases are currently used in coadministration with antibiotic therapy, no clinically useful inhibitors of metallo-beta-lactamases (MBLs) have yet been discovered. In this paper, we investigated the inhibitory effect of mercaptophosphonate derivatives against the three subclasses of MBLs (B1, B2, and B3). All 14 tested mercaptophosphonates, with the exception of 1a, behaved as competitive inhibitors for the three subclasses. Apart from 13 and 21, all the mercaptophosphonates tested exhibit a good inhibitory effect on the subclass B2 MBL CphA with low inhibition constants (K(i) < 15 muM). Interestingly, compound 18 turned out to be a potent broad spectrum MBL inhibitor. The crystallographic structures of the CphA-10a and CphA-18 complexes indicated that the sulfur atom of 10a and the phosphonato group of 18 interact with the Zn(2+) ion, respectively. Molecular modeling studies of the interactions between compounds 10a and 18 and the VIM-4 (B1), CphA (B2), and FEZ-1 (B3) enzymes brought to light different binding modes depending on the enzyme and the inhibitor, consistent with the crystallographic structures.

Trifluoromethyl alcohol and ketone inhibitors of metallo-β-lactamases

Abstract α-Amido trifluoromethyl alcohols and ketones were synthesised via two independent routes using Rupperts Reagent (TMS-CF3) and shown to be the first reported synthetic inhibitors of metallo-β-lactamases.

Analysis of the Importance of the Metallo-β-Lactamase Active Site Loop in Substrate Binding and Catalysis

The role of the mobile loop comprising residues 60-66 in metallo-beta-lactamases has been studied by site-directed mutagenesis, determination of kinetic parameters for six substrates and two inhibitors, pre-steady-state characterization of the interaction with chromogenic nitrocefin, and molecular modeling. The W64A mutation was performed in IMP-1 and BcII (after replacement of the BcII 60-66 peptide by that of IMP-1) and always resulted in increased K(i) and K(m) and decreased k(cat)/K(m) values, an effect reinforced by complete deletion of the loop. k(cat) values were, by contrast, much more diversely affected, indicating that the loop does not systematically favor the best relative positioning of substrate and enzyme catalytic groups. The hydrophobic nature of the ligand is also crucial to strong interactions with the loop, since imipenem was almost insensitive to loop modifications.

Structural basis for the broad-spectrum inhibition of metallo-beta-lactamases by thiols

The development of broad-spectrum metallo-beta-lactamase (MBL) inhibitors is challenging due to structural diversity and differences in metal utilisation by these enzymes. Analysis of structural data, followed by non-denturing mass spectrometric analyses, identified thiols proposed to inhibit representative MBLs from all three sub-classes: B1, B2 and B3. Solution analyses led to the identification of broad spectrum inhibitors, including potent inhibitors of the CphA MBL (Aeromonas hydrophila). Structural studies revealed that, as observed for other B1 and B3 MBLs, inhibition of the L1 MBL thiols involves metal chelation. Evidence is reported that this is not the case for inhibition of the CphA enzyme by some thiols; the crystal structure of the CphA-Zn-inhibitor complex reveals a binding mode in which the thiol does not interact with the zinc. The structural data enabled the design and the production of further more potent inhibitors. Overall the results suggest that the development of reasonably broad-spectrum MBL inhibitors should be possible.