Crystal structures of KPC-2 ß-lactamase in complex with 3-nitrophenyl boronic acid and the penam sulfone PSR-3-226.

Class A carbapenemases are a major threat to the potency of carbapenem antibiotics. A widespread carbapenemase, KPC-2, is not easily inhibited by ß-lactamase inhibitors (i.e., clavulanic acid, sulbactam, and tazobactam). To explore different mechanisms of inhibition of KPC-2, we determined the crystal structures of KPC-2 with two ß-lactamase inhibitors that follow different inactivation pathways and kinetics. The first complex is that of a small boronic acid compound, 3-nitrophenyl boronic acid (3-NPBA), bound to KPC-2 with 1.62-Å resolution. 3-NPBA demonstrated a K(m) value of 1.0 ± 0.1 µM (mean ± standard error) for KPC-2 and blocks the active site by making a reversible covalent interaction with the catalytic S70 residue. The two boron hydroxyl atoms of 3-NPBA are positioned in the oxyanion hole and the deacylation water pocket, respectively. In addition, the aromatic ring of 3-NPBA provides an edge-to-face interaction with W105 in the active site. The structure of KPC-2 with the penam sulfone PSR-3-226 was determined at 1.26-Å resolution. PSR-3-226 displayed a K(m) value of 3.8 ± 0.4 µM for KPC-2, and the inactivation rate constant (k(inact)) was 0.034 ± 0.003 s(-1). When covalently bound to S70, PSR-3-226 forms a trans-enamine intermediate in the KPC-2 active site. The predominant active site interactions are generated via the carbonyl oxygen, which resides in the oxyanion hole, and the carboxyl moiety of PSR-3-226, which interacts with N132, N170, and E166. 3-NPBA and PSR-3-226 are the first ß-lactamase inhibitors to be trapped as an acyl-enzyme complex with KPC-2. The structural and inhibitory insights gained here could aid in the design of potent KPC-2 inhibitors.

Inactivation of a class A and a class C ß-lactamase by 6ß-(hydroxymethyl)penicillanic acid sulfone.

ß-Lactamase inhibitors (clavulanic acid, sulbactam, and tazobactam) contribute significantly to the longevity of the ß-lactam antibiotics used to treat serious infections. In the quest to design more potent compounds and to understand the mechanism of action of known inhibitors, 6ß-(hydroxymethyl)penicillanic acid sulfone (6ß-HM-sulfone) was tested against isolates expressing the class A TEM-1 ß-lactamase and a clinically important variant of the AmpC cephalosporinase of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, PDC-3. The addition of the 6ß-HM-sulfone inhibitor to ampicillin was highly effective. 6ß-HM-sulfone inhibited TEM-1 with an IC(50) of 12 ± 2 nM and PDC-3 with an IC(50) of 180 ± 36 nM, and displayed lower partition ratios than commercial inhibitors, with partition ratios (k(cat)/k(inact)) equal to 174 for TEM-1 and 4 for PDC-3. Measured for 20 h, 6ß-HM-sulfone demonstrated rapid, first-order inactivation kinetics with the extent of inactivation being related to the concentration of inhibitor for both TEM-1 and PDC-3. Using mass spectrometry to gain insight into the intermediates of inactivation of this inhibitor, 6ß-HM-sulfone was found to form a major adduct of +247 ± 5 Da with TEM-1 and +245 ± 5 Da with PDC-3, suggesting that the covalently bound, hydrolytically stabilized acyl-enzyme has lost a molecule of water (HOH). Minor adducts of +88 ± 5 Da with TEM-1 and +85 ± 5 Da with PDC-3 revealed that fragmentation of the covalent adduct can result but appeared to occur slowly with both enzymes. 6ß-HM-sulfone is an effective and versatile ß-lactamase inhibitor of representative class A and C enzymes.

Modifications of the C6-substituent of penicillin sulfones with the goal of improving inhibitor recognition and efficacy.

In order to evaluate the importance of a hydrogen-bond donating substituent in the design of ß-lactamase inhibitors, a series of C6-substituted penicillin sulfones, lacking a C2' substituent, and having an sp(3) hybridized C6, was prepared and evaluated against a representative classes A and C ß-lactamases. It was found that a C6 hydrogen-bond donor is necessary for good inhibitory activity, but that this feature alone is not sufficient in this series of C6ß-substituted penicillin sulfones. Other factors which may impact the potency of the inhibitor include the steric bulk of the C6 substituent (e.g., methicillin sulfone) which may hinder recognition in the class A ß-lactamases, and also high similarity to the natural substrates (e.g., penicillin G sulfone) which may render the prospective inhibitor a good substrate of both classes of enzyme. The best inhibitors had non-directional hydrogen-bonding substituents, such as hydroxymethyl, which may allow sufficient conformational flexibility of the acyl-enzyme for abstraction of the C6 proton by E166 (class A), thus promoting isomerization to the ß-aminoacrylate as a stabilized acyl-enzyme.