Detection of altered protein conformations in living cells.

The maturation, conformational stability, and the rate of in vivo degradation are specific for each protein and depend on both the intrinsic features of the protein and those of the surrounding cellular environment. While synthesis and degradation can be measured in living cells, stability and maturation of proteins are more difficult to quantify. We developed the split-ubiquitin method into a tool for detecting and analyzing changes in protein conformation. The biophysical parameter that forms the basis of these measurements is the time-averaged distance between the N terminus and C terminus of a protein. Starting from three proteins of known structure, we demonstrate the feasibility of this approach, and employ it to elucidate the effect of a previously described mutation in the protein Sec62p on its conformation in living cells.

pKa calculations for class A beta-lactamases: influence of substrate binding.

Beta-Lactamases are responsible for bacterial resistance to beta-lactams and are thus of major clinical importance. However, the identity of the general base involved in their mechanism of action is still unclear. Two candidate residues, Glu166 and Lys73, have been proposed to fulfill this role. Previous studies support the proposal that Glu166 acts during the deacylation, but there is no consensus on the possible role of this residue in the acylation step. Recent experimental data and theoretical considerations indicate that Lys73 is protonated in the free beta-lactamases, showing that this residue is unlikely to act as a proton abstractor. On the other hand, it has been proposed that the pKa of Lys73 would be dramatically reduced upon substrate binding and would thus be able to act as a base. To check this hypothesis, we performed continuum electrostatic calculations for five wild-type and three beta-lactamase mutants to estimate the pKa of Lys73 in the presence of substrates, both in the Henri-Michaelis complex and in the tetrahedral intermediate. In all cases, the pKa of Lys73 was computed to be above 10, showing that it is unlikely to act as a proton abstractor, even when a beta-lactam substrate is bound in the enzyme active site. The pKa of Lys234 is also raised in the tetrahedral intermediate, thus confirming a probable role of this residue in the stabilization of the tetrahedral intermediate. The influence of the beta-lactam carboxylate on the pKa values of the active-site lysines is also discussed.

X-ray analysis of the NMC-A beta-lactamase at 1.64-A resolution, a class A carbapenemase with broad substrate specificity.

The treatment of infectious diseases by penicillin and cephalosporin antibiotics is continuously challenged by the emergence and the dissemination of the numerous TEM and SHV mutant beta-lactamases with extended substrate profiles. These class A beta-lactamases nevertheless remain inefficient against carbapenems, the most effective antibiotics against clinically relevant pathogens. A new member of this enzyme class, NMC-A, was recently reported to hydrolyze at high rates, and hence destroy, all known beta-lactam antibiotics, including carbapenems and cephamycins. The crystal structure of NMC-A was solved to 1.64-A resolution, and reveals modifications in the topology of the substrate-binding site. While preserving the geometry of the essential catalytic residues, the active site of the enzyme presents a disulfide bridge between residues 69 and 238, and certain other structural differences compared with the other beta-lactamases. These unusual features in class A beta-lactamases involve amino acids that participate in enzyme-substrate interactions, which suggested that these structural factors should be related to the very broad substrate specificity of this enzyme. The comparison of the NMC-A structure with those of other class A enzymes and enzyme-ligand complexes, indicated that the position of Asn-132 in NMC-A provides critical additional space in the region of the protein where the poorer substrates for class A beta-lactamases, such as cephamycins and carbapenems, need to be accommodated.

pKa calculations for class A beta-lactamases: methodological and mechanistic implications.

Beta-lactamases are responsible for resistance to penicillins and related beta-lactam compounds. Despite numerous studies, the identity of the general base involved in the acylation step is still unclear. It has been proposed, on the basis of a previous pKa calculation and analysis of structural data, that the unprotonated Lys73 in the active site could act as the general base. Using a continuum electrostatic model with an improved treatment of the multiple titration site problem, we calculated the pKa values of all titratable residues in the substrate-free TEM-1 and Bacillus licheniformis class A beta-lactamases. The pKa of Lys73 in both enzymes was computed to be above 10, in good agreement with recent experimental data on the TEM-1 beta-lactamase, but inconsistent with the proposal that Lys73 acts as the general base. Even when the closest titratable residue, Glu166, is mutated to a neutral residue, the predicted downward shift of the pKa of Lys73 shows that it is unlikely to act as a proton abstractor in either enzyme. These results support a mechanism in which the proton of the active Ser70 is transferred to the carboxylate group of Glu166.

A disulfide bridge near the active site of carbapenem-hydrolyzing class A beta-lactamases might explain their unusual substrate profile.

Bacterial resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics, a clinically worrying and recurrent problem, is often due to the production of beta-lactamases, enzymes that efficiently hydrolyze the amide bond of the beta-lactam nucleus. Imipenem and other carbapenems escape the activity of most active site serine beta-lactamases and have therefore become very popular drugs for antibacterial chemotherapy in the hospital environment. Their usefulness is, however, threatened by the appearance of new beta-lactamases that efficiently hydrolyze them. This study is focused on the structure and properties of two recently described class A carbapenemases, produced by Serratia marcescens and Enterobacter cloacae strains and leads to a better understanding of the specificity of beta-lactamases. In turn, this will contribute to the design of better antibacterial drugs. Three-dimensional models of the two class A carbapenemases were constructed by homology modeling. They suggested the presence, near the active site of the enzymes, of a disulfide bridge (C69-C238) whose existence was experimentally confirmed. Kinetic parameters were measured with the purified Sme-1 carbapenemase, and an attempt was made to explain its specific substrate profile by analyzing the structures of minimized Henri-Michaelis complexes and comparing them to those obtained for the "classical" TEM-1 beta-lactamase. The peculiar substrate profile of the carbapenemases appears to be strongly correlated with the presence of the disulfide bridge between C69 and C238.

The rate-limiting step in the folding of the cis-Pro167Thr mutant of TEM-1 beta-lactamase is the trans to cis isomerization of a non-proline peptide bond.

The stability and kinetics of unfolding and refolding of the P167T mutant of the TEM-1 beta-lactamase have been investigated as a function of guanidine hydrochloride concentration. The activity of the mutant enzyme was not significantly modified, which strongly suggests that the Glu166-Thr167 peptide bond, like the Glu166-Pro167, is cis. The mutation, however, led to a significant decrease in the stability of the native state relative to both the thermodynamically stable intermediate and the fully unfolded state of the protein. In contrast to the two slower phases seen in the refolding of the wild-type enzyme, only one phase was detected in the refolding of the mutant, indicating a determining role of proline 167 in the kinetics of folding of the wild-type enzyme. The former phases are replaced by rapid refolding when the enzyme is unfolded for short periods of time, but the latter is independent of the time of unfolding. The monophasic refolding reaction of the mutant is proposed to reflect mainly the trans-->cis isomerization of the Glu166-Thr167 peptide bond.

The catalytic mechanism of beta-lactamases: NMR titration of an active-site lysine residue of the TEM-1 enzyme.

Beta-Lactamases are widespread in the bacterial world, where they are responsible for resistance to penicillins, cephalosporins, and related compounds, currently the most widely used antibacterial agents. Detailed structural and mechanistic understanding of these enzymes can be expected to guide the design of new antibacterial compounds resistant to their action. A number of high-resolution structures are available for class A beta-lactamases, whose catalytic mechanism involves the acylation of a serine residue at the active site. The identity of the general base which participates in the activation of this serine residue during catalysis has been the subject of controversy, both a lysine residue and a glutamic acid residue having been proposed as candidates for this role. We have used the pH dependence of chemical modification of epsilon-amino groups by 2,4,6,-trinitrobenzenesulfonate and the pH dependence of the epsilon-methylene 1H and 13C chemical shifts (in enzyme selectively labeled with [epsilon-13C]lysine) to estimate the pKa of the relevant lysine residue, lysine-73, of TEM-1 beta-lactamase. Both methods show that the pKa of this residue is > 10, making it very unlikely that this residue could act as a proton acceptor in catalysis. An alternative mechanism in which this role is performed by glutamate-166 through an intervening water molecule is described.

Stability of TEM beta-lactamase mutants hydrolyzing third generation cephalosporins.

The stability properties of six natural mutants of the TEM-1 beta-lactamase have been studied. The glutamate to lysine substitution at positions 104 and 240 stabilize the enzyme. Conversely, the G238S mutant's decreased stability might reflect an altered conformation of the active site and thus be related to the modified substrate profile. The relative stability of the R164S and R164H mutants is explained by the formation of a hydrogen bond between these residues and Asp-179 conferring a somewhat different structure to the omega loop and thus also explaining the extended substrate profile of these mutants. The loss of stability of the R164H mutant with increasing pH values can be explained by the titration of a hydrogen bond between the N delta of His-164 and the O delta of Asp-179. The properties of the G238S + E104K double mutant which is the most active against third-generation cephalosporins result from a balance of destabilizing and stabilizing substitutions, and their effects seem to be additive. The behavior of the R164S + E240K mutant might be explained on the basis of a similar compensation phenomenon.

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

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.

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

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.

Investigation of the folding pathway of the TEM-1 beta-lactamase.

The TEM-1 beta-lactamase is a globular protein containing 12 proline residues. The folding mechanism of this enzyme was investigated by kinetic and equilibrium experiments with the help of fluorescence spectroscopy and circular dichroism. The equilibrium denaturation of the protein induced by guanidine hydrochloride occurs in two discrete steps, indicating the existence of a thermodynamically stable intermediate state. This state is 5.2 +/- 0.4 kcal/mol less stable than the native conformation and 5.7 +/- 0.2 kcal/mol more stable than the fully denatured protein. This intermediate state exhibits a high content of native secondary structure elements but is devoid of specific tertiary organization; its relation to the "molten globule" is discussed. Refolding kinetic experiments revealed the existence of a transient intermediate conformation between the thermodynamically stable intermediate and the native protein. This transient intermediate appears rapidly during the folding reaction. It exhibits a secondary structure content very similar to that of the native protein and has also recovered a significant amount of tertiary organisation. The final refolding step of the TEM-1 beta-lactamase, leading to the native enzyme, is dominated by two major slow kinetic phases which probably reflect a very complex process kinetically limited by proline cis/trans isomerization.

DD-peptidases and beta-lactamases: catalytic mechanisms and specificities.

DD-peptidases and beta-lactamases share several common properties, including the formation of an acylenzyme intermediate in their catalytic pathways. In their interactions with beta-lactam antibiotics, the stability of this intermediate is much higher with the peptidases than with the beta-lactamases. The structural factors responsible for this difference have not been identified. The evolution of beta-lactamases is taking place before our eyes, since mutants are constantly selected which can hydrolyze the molecules newly introduced as "beta-lactamase resistant" in the chemotherapeutic arsenal.

Kinetic study of interaction between BRL 42715, beta-lactamases, and D-alanyl-D-alanine peptidases.

A detailed kinetic study of the interactions between BRL 42715, a beta-lactamase-inhibiting penem, and various beta-lactamases (EC 3.5.2.6) and D-alanyl-D-alanine peptidases (DD-peptidases, EC 3.4.16.4) is presented. The compound was a very efficient inactivator of all active-site serine beta-lactamases but was hydrolyzed by the class B, Zn(2+)-containing enzymes, with very different kcat values. Inactivation of the Streptomyces sp. strain R61 extracellular DD-peptidase was not observed, and the Actinomadura sp. strain R39 DD-peptidase exhibited a low level of sensitivity to the compound.

TEM beta-lactamase mutants hydrolysing third-generation cephalosporins. A kinetic and molecular modelling analysis.

The catalytic properties of six "natural" mutants of the TEM-1 beta-lactamase have been studied in detail, with special emphasis on their activity versus third-generation cephalosporins. On the basis of the recently determined high-resolution structure of the wild-type enzyme, and of the substrates' structures optimized by the AMI quantum chemistry method, we have attempted to explain the influences of the mutations on the substrate profiles of the enzymes. Some of the kinetic results have thus received a satisfactory, semi-quantitative interpretation, especially in the case of single mutations. Analysis of the double mutants proved more hazardous. Extending the comparison to some other class A beta-lactamases showed that similar properties could result from different sequences, supplying an interesting example of convergent evolution within a generally diverging family.

Catalytic mechanism of active-site serine beta-lactamases: role of the conserved hydroxy group of the Lys-Thr(Ser)-Gly triad.

The role of the conserved hydroxy group of the Lys-Thr(Ser)-Gly [KT(S)G] triad has been studied for a class A and a class C beta-lactamase by site-directed mutagenesis. Surprisingly, the disappearance of this functional group had little impact on the penicillinase activity of both enzymes. The cephalosporinase activity was much more affected for the class A S235A (Ser235-->Ala) and the class C T316V (Thr315-->Val) mutants, but the class C T316A mutant was less impaired. Studies were extended to beta-lactams, where the carboxy group on C-3 of penicillins or C-4 of cephalosporins had been modified. The effects of the mutations were the same on these compounds as on the unmodified regular penicillins and cephalosporins. The results are compared with those obtained with a similar mutant (T299V) of the Streptomyces R61 DD-peptidase. With this enzyme the mutation also affected the interactions with penicillins and severely decreased the peptidase activity. The strict conservation of the hydroxy group on the second residue of the KT(S)G triad is thus much more easy to understand for the DD-peptidase and the penicillin-binding proteins than for beta-lactamases, especially those of class C.

A comparative study of class-D beta-lactamases.

Three class-D beta-lactamases (OXA2, OXA1 and PSE2) were produced and purified to protein homogeneity. 6 beta-Iodopenicillanate inactivated the OXA2 enzyme without detectable turnover. Labelling of the same beta-lactamase with 6 beta-iodo[3H]penicillanate allowed the identification of Ser-70 as the active-site serine residue. In agreement with previous reports, the apparent M(r) of the OXA2 enzyme as determined by molecular-sieve filtration, was significantly higher than that deduced from the gene sequence, but this was not due to an equilibrium between a monomer and a dimer. The heterogeneity of the OXA2 beta-lactamase on ion-exchange chromatography contrasted with the similarity of the catalytic properties of the various forms. A first overview of the enzymic properties of the three 'oxacillinases' is presented. With the OXA2 enzyme, 'burst' kinetics, implying branched pathways, seemed to prevail with many substrates.