Expression and characterization of 4-α-glucanotransferase genes from Manihot esculenta Crantz and Arabidopsis thaliana and their use for the production of cycloamyloses

4-α-Glucanotransferase or disproportionating enzyme (D-enzyme, DPE) catalyzes the α-1.4 glycosyl transfer between oligosaccharides. Type I D-enzyme (DPE1) can transfer maltosyl unit from one 1.4-α-d-glucan to an acceptor mono- or oligo-saccharide, which reflects the physiological role of DPE1 in plant starch metabolism. In this study, the genes encoding DPE1 from Arabidopsis thaliana (AtDPE1) and Manihot esculenta Crantz cultivar KU50 (MeDPE1) were cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity. MeDPE1 encoded 585 amino acid residues, including a 56 residue signal peptide, while AtDPE1 encoded 576 amino acid residues with a 45 residue signal peptide. The molecular mass of both mature enzymes, estimated from deduced amino acid sequence, were the same at 59.4 kDa, with a pI of 5.13. The predicted structures of both enzymes showed the conserved 250's loop and three catalytic amino acid residues, characteristics of disproportionating enzymes in the GH77 glycoside hydrolase family. Biochemical characterization showed that both purified recombinant enzymes were homodimers in solution, with similar optimum pH and temperature for disproportionating activity at pH 6–8 and 37 °C. Using potato amylose as a substrate, AtDPE1 can produce cycloamyloses in the range 16–50 glucose residues, while products from the action of MeDPE1 on the same substrate were in a wider range of 16 to DP > 60. These recombinant enzymes are useful tools for elucidation of their functional roles in starch metabolism and for applications in the starch industry.     

Domain characterization of a 4-alpha-glucanotransferase essential for maltose metabolism in photosynthetic leaves

Maltose metabolism during the conversion of transitory (leaf) starch to sucrose requires a 4-alpha-glucanotransferase (EC 2.4.1.25) in the cytosol of leaf cells. This enzyme is called DPE2 because of its similarity to the disproportionating enzyme in plastids (DPE1). DPE1 does not use maltose; it primarily transfers a maltosyl unit from one maltotriose to a second maltotriose to make glucose and maltopentaose. DPE2 is a modular protein consisting of a family 77 glycosyl hydrolase domain, similar to DPE1, but unlike DPE1 the domain is interrupted by an insertion of approximately 150 amino acids as well as an N-terminal extension that consists of two carbohydrate binding modules. Phylogenetic analysis shows that the DPE2-type enzyme is present in a limited but highly diverse group of organisms. Here we show that DPE2 transfers the non-reducing glucosyl unit from maltose to glycogen by a ping-pong mechanism. The forward reaction (consumption of maltose) is specific for the beta-anomer of maltose, while the reverse reaction (production of maltose) is not stereospecific for the acceptor glucose. Additionally, through deletion mutants we show that the glycosyl hydrolase domain alone provides disproportionating activity with a much higher affinity for short maltodextrins than the complete wild-type enzyme, while absence of the carbohydrate binding modules completely abolishes activity with large complex carbohydrates, reflecting the presumed function of DPE2 in vivo.     

A transglucosylase of Streptococcus bovis

1. A transglucosylase has been separated from the α-amylase of Streptococcus bovis by chromatography of the cell extract on DEAE-cellulose. 2. The transglucosylase can synthesize higher maltodextrins from maltotriose, but maltose, isomaltose and panose do not function as donors. 3. Iodine-staining polysaccharide may be synthesized from maltotriose provided that glucose is removed. Synthesis from maltohexaose results in dextrins of sufficient chain length to stain with iodine, but again maltodextrins of longer chain length are formed when glucose is removed from the system. 4. The transglucosylase degrades amylose in the presence of a suitable acceptor, transferring one or more glucosyl residues from the non-reducing end of the donor to the non-reducing end of the acceptor. With [¹⁴C]glucose as acceptor the maltodextrins produced were labelled in the reducing glucose unit only. 5. The acceptor activities of 25 sugars have been compared with that of glucose. Maltose has 50%, methyl α-glucoside has 15%, isomaltose and panose each has 8% and sucrose has 6% of the accepting efficiency of glucose. Mannose and sorbose also had detectable activity. With the exception of maltose all these sugars produced a different series of dextrins from that obtained with glucose. 6. It was concluded that S. bovis transglucosylase transfers α-(1→4)-glucosidic linkages in the same manner as D-enzyme, but some differences in specificity distinguish the two enzymes. Unlike D-enzyme, S. bovis transglucosylase can transfer glucosyl units, producing appreciable amounts of maltose both during synthesis from maltotriose and during transfer from amylose to glucose. 7. No evidence was found that the transglucosylase was extracellular. The enzyme is cell-bound, and is released by treatment of the cells with lysozyme and by suspension of the spheroplasts in dilute buffer. 8. The transglucosylase may be responsible for the storage of intracellular iodophilic polysaccharide that occurs when the cells are grown in the presence of suitable carbohydrate sources.     

Properties of glucosyltransferase and glucan transferase from spinach

A glucosyl and a glucosyl-glucan transferase activity from spinach (Spinacia oleracea L. var. Matador) leaves have been partially purified and characterized. The latter activity (fraction 1 after diethylaminoethylcellulose chromatography) is responsible for the transfer of glucosyl as well as of maltosyl, maltotriosyl, and higher homologous residues to glucose giving rise to maltose and the correspondingly larger molecules. This fraction also shows β-amylase activity. The transfer takes place only to glucose; maltose, as well as other α-1,4-glucans, serve as donors. The enzyme fraction 2 is amylase-free and catalyzes only the transfer of glucosyl moieties, again with high acceptor specificity to glucose. Maltose and larger α-1, 4-glucans, with the exception of maltotriose and maltotetraose, act as donors. The physiological function of these enzymes may be the formation of oligosaccharide primers for starch synthetase or phosphorylase.     

Identification of amino acid residues in Streptococcus mutans glucosyltransferases influencing the structure of the glucan product.

The glucosyltransferases (GTFs) of mutans streptococci are important virulence factors in the sucrose-dependent colonization of tooth surfaces by these organisms. To investigate the structure-function relationship of the GTFs, an approach was initiated to identify amino acid residues of the GTFs which affect the incorporation of glucose residues into the glucan polymer. Conserved amino acid residues were identified in the GTF-S and GTF-I enzymes of the mutans streptococci and were selected for site-directed mutagenesis in the corresponding enzymes from Streptococcus mutans GS5. Conversion of six amino acid residues of the GTF-I enzyme to those present at the corresponding positions in GTF-S, either singly or in multiple combinations, resulted in enzymes synthesizing increased levels of soluble glucans. The enzyme containing six alterations synthesized 73% water-soluble glucan in the absence of acceptor dextran T10, while parental enzyme GTF-I synthesized no such glucan product. Conversely, when residue 589 of the GTF-S enzyme was converted from Thr to either Asp or Glu, the resulting enzyme synthesized primarily water-insoluble glucan in the absence of the acceptor. Therefore, this approach has identified several amino acid positions which influence the nature of the glucan product synthesized by GTFs.     

Biochemical Characterization of the Chlamydomonas reinhardtii α-1,4 Glucanotransferase Supports a Direct Function in Amylopectin Biosynthesis

Plant α-1,4 glucanotransferases (disproportionating enzymes, or D-enzymes) transfer glucan chains among oligosaccharides with the concomitant release of glucose (Glc). Analysis of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii sta11-1 mutants revealed a correlation between a D-enzyme deficiency and specific alterations in amylopectin structure and starch biosynthesis, thereby suggesting previously unknown biosynthetic functions. This study characterized the biochemical activities of the α-1,4 glucanotransferase that is deficient in sta11-1 mutants. The enzyme exhibited the glucan transfer and Glc production activities that define D-enzymes. D-enzyme also transferred glucans among the outer chains of amylopectin (using the polysaccharide chains as both donor and acceptor) and from malto-oligosaccharides into the outer chains of either amylopectin or glycogen. In contrast to transfer among oligosaccharides, which occurs readily with maltotriose, transfer into polysaccharide required longer donor molecules. All three enzymatic activities, evolution of Glc from oligosaccharides, glucan transfer from oligosaccharides into polysaccharides, and transfer among polysaccharide outer chains, were evident in a single 62-kD band. Absence of all three activities co-segregated with the sta11-1 mutation, which is known to cause abnormal accumulation of oligosaccharides at the expense of starch. To explain these data we propose that D-enzymes function directly in building the amylopectin structure.     

Crystallographic analysis at low resolution of metabolite binding sites on phosphorylase b

Crystallographic binding studies of various metabolites to phosphorylase b in the presence of 2 mm-IMP have been carried out at low resolution (8.7 Å) with three-dimensional data and at high resolution (3 å) with two-dimensional data. From correlation of peaks observed in difference Fourier syntheses based on these two sets of data, the following binding sites have been identified: (1) the “active” site to which the substrate, glucose 1-phosphate, and the substrate analogues, maltotriose and arsenate, bind and which is close to the subunit-subunit interface of the phosphorylase dimer; (2) the allosteric adenine-nucleotide binding site to which the allosteric activator AMP and the allosteric inhibitor ATP bind and which is very close to the active site; (3) the inhibitor binding site for glucose 6-phosphate, which is also close to the active site. Glucose 6-phosphate causes extensive conformational changes in the protein, which are the largest observed for all the metabolites studied so far; (4) a glycogen binding site on the surface of the molecule to which maltotriose binds. The distance over the surface of the phosphorylase molecule from this site to the active site is 50 to 60 Å; (5) a second glucose 1-phosphate binding site situated in the interior of the molecule. The significance of this site is not yet understood but its position in the centre of the molecule suggests that it may have a key role in the control and catalysis of phosphorylase.     

The crystal structure of Thermotoga maritima maltosyltransferase and its implications for the molecular basis of the novel transfer specificity.

Maltosyltransferase (MTase) from the hyperthermophile Thermotoga maritima represents a novel maltodextrin glycosyltransferase acting on starch and malto-oligosaccharides. It catalyzes the transfer of maltosyl units from alpha-1,4-linked glucans or malto-oligosaccharides to other alpha-1,4-linked glucans, malto-oligosaccharides or glucose. It belongs to the glycoside hydrolase family 13, which represents a large group of (beta/alpha)(8) barrel proteins sharing a similar active site structure. The crystal structures of MTase and its complex with maltose have been determined at 2.4 A and 2.1 A resolution, respectively. MTase is a homodimer, each subunit of which consists of four domains, two of which are structurally homologous to those of other family 13 enzymes. The catalytic core domain has the (beta/alpha)(8) barrel fold with the active-site cleft formed at the C-terminal end of the barrel. Substrate binding experiments have led to the location of two distinct maltose-binding sites; one lies in the active-site cleft, covering subsites -2 and -1; the other is located in a pocket adjacent to the active-site cleft. The structure of MTase, together with the conservation of active-site residues among family 13 glycoside hydrolases, are consistent with a common double-displacement catalytic mechanism for this enzyme. Analysis of maltose binding in the active site reveals that the transfer of dextrinyl residues longer than a maltosyl unit is prevented by termination of the active-site cleft after the -2 subsite by the side-chain of Lys151 and the stretch of residues 314-317, providing an explanation for the strict transfer specificity of MTase.     

Conserved Interactions of the Active Carboxyls in Pepsin-like Enzymes and Retroviral Proteases

In addition to previous studies, 30 crystal structures of retroviral proteases corresponding to the highest resolution were inspected to analyze the interactions of the active carboxyls with surroundings groups. The outer oxygens of the active carboxyls in retroviral enzymes form contacts only with the water molecule participating in catalysis. This is an important difference between retroviral proteases and pepsin-like enzymes, which form a net of hydrogen bonds of these outer oxygens with residues neighboring the catalytic site in 3D structures. At the same time, it was found that in all aspartic proteases the inner oxygens of the active carboxyls are also involved in the chain of interactions through peptide groups Thr–Gly adjacent to the active residues. Polarization of these peptide groups influences the donor–acceptor properties of the active carboxyls. The found chain of interactions is more extensive in retroviral than in pepsin-like proteases; however, its main part is conserved for the whole class of these enzymes. Some implications of the role of these interactions are discussed.     

Modeling of acanthoxin A1, a PLA2 enzyme from the venom of the common death adder (Acanthophis antarcticus)

The phospholipase A2 enzyme, acanthoxin, found in the venom of the common death adder (Acanthophis antarcticus) as with other snake PLA2 enzymes displays neurotoxic activity. It is unclear whether this neurotoxic activity particular to some snake PLA2 enzymes is a result of structural differences solely within the catalytic sites or at a distant location upon the molecules. We have predicted the three-dimensional structure of one of the two predominant isoforms of acanthoxin (A1) using comparative protein modeling techniques. Given the high degree of homology and the availability of a high quality crystallographic structure, notexin was used as a molecular template to construct an all atom model of acanthoxin. The model was made using the program MODELLER3 and then refined with X-PLOR. Comparison between the predicted structure of acanthoxin and several X-ray structures of toxic and nontoxic PLA2 enzymes has led to a testable two-step proposal of neurotoxic PLA2 activity; involving the favorable binding to acceptor molecules followed by enzymatic intrusion upon the target membrane. The electrostatic potentials across the molecular surfaces of toxic and nontoxic PLA2 enzymes were calculated (GRASP) and it was found that the toxic PLA2 enzymes possessed a charge distribution on the noncatalytic surface not identified in the nontoxic PLA2 enzymes. Thus we have identified residues potentially involved in the interaction of the PLA2 enzymes with their acceptor molecules. Furthermore, the proposed acceptor molecule recognition site is distant from the catalytic site which upon binding of the PLA2 to the acceptor molecule may enhance the enzymatic ability of the toxic PLA2 enzymes on particular cell types.     

A transglucosidase necessary for starch degradation and maltose metabolism in leaves at night acts on cytosolic heteroglycans (SHG)

The recently characterized cytosolic transglucosidase DPE2 (EC 2.4.1.25) is essential for the cytosolic metabolism of maltose, an intermediate on the pathway by which starch is converted to sucrose at night. In in vitro assays, the enzyme utilizes glycogen as a glucosyl acceptor but the in vivo acceptor molecules remained unknown. In this communication we present evidence that DPE2 acts on the recently identified cytosolic water-soluble heteroglycans (SHG) as does the cytosolic phosphorylase (EC 2.4.1.1) isoform. By using in vitro two-step ¹⁴C labeling assays we demonstrate that the two transferases can utilize the same acceptor sites of the SHG. Cytosolic heteroglycans from a DPE2-deficient Arabidopsis mutant were characterized. Compared with the wild type the glucose content of the heteroglycans was increased. Most of the additional glucosyl residues were found in the outer chains of SHG that are released by an endo- α -arabinanase (EC 3.2.1.99). Additional starch-related mutants were characterized for further analysis of the increased glucosyl content. Based on these data, the cytosolic metabolism of starch-derived carbohydrates is discussed.     

Characterization of Pea Chloroplast D-Enzyme (4-alpha-d-Glucanotransferase)

Pea (Pisum sativum L.) chloroplast D-enzyme (4-α-d-glucanotransferase, EC 2.4. 1.25) was purified greater than 750-fold and partially characterized. It is a dimer with a subunit M_r of ca. 50,000. Optimal activity is between pH 7.5 and 8.0 with maltotriose as substrate and the enzyme's K_m for maltotriose is 3.3 millimolar. Chloroplast D-enzyme converts maltotriose to maltopentaose and glucose via the exchange of α-1,4-glycosidic linkages. Maltotriose acts either as a donor or acceptor of a maltosyl group. The enzyme has highest activity with maltotriose as substrate. As initial substrate degree of polymerization is increased to maltoheptaose, D-enzyme activity drops to zero at 10 millimolar substrate concentrations and by 70% at 1 millimolar concentrations. The enzyme cannot use maltose as a substrate. Glucose was found to be a suitable acceptor substrate for this D-enzyme. Addition of glucose to incubation mixtures, or production of glucose by D-enzyme, prevents the synthesis of maltodextrins larger than maltopentaose. Removal of glucose produced by D-enzyme activity with maltotriose as substrate resulted in the synthesis of maltopentaose and maltodextrins with sufficient degrees of polymerization to be suitable substrates for pea chloroplast starch phosphorylase. The possible role of D-enzyme in pea chloroplast starch metabolism is discussed.     

Identification of acceptor substrate binding subsites +2 and +3 in the amylomaltase from Thermus thermophilus HB8

Glycoside hydrolase family 77 (GH77) belongs to the alpha-amylase superfamily (Clan H) together with GH13 and GH70. GH77 enzymes are amylomaltases or 4-alpha-glucanotransferases, involved in maltose metabolism in microorganisms and in starch biosynthesis in plants. Here we characterized the amylomaltase from the hyperthermophilic bacterium Thermus thermophilus HB8 (Tt AMase). Site-directed mutagenesis of the active site residues (Asp293, nucleophile; Glu340, general acid/base catalyst; Asp395, transition state stabilizer) shows that GH77 Tt AMase and GH13 enzymes share the same catalytic machinery. Quantification of the enzyme's transglycosylation and hydrolytic activities revealed that Tt AMase is among the most efficient 4-alpha-glucanotransferases in the alpha-amylase superfamily. The active site contains at least seven substrate binding sites, subsites -2 and +3 favoring substrate binding and subsites -3 and +2 not, in contrast to several GH13 enzymes in which subsite +2 contributes to oligosaccharide binding. A model of a maltoheptaose (G7) substrate bound to the enzyme was used to probe the details of the interactions of the substrate with the protein at acceptor subsites +2 and +3 by site-directed mutagenesis. Substitution of the fully conserved Asp249 with a Ser in subsite +2 reduced the activity 23-fold (for G7 as a substrate) to 385-fold (for maltotriose). Similar mutations reduced the activity of alpha-amylases only up to 10-fold. Thus, the characteristics of acceptor subsite +2 represent a main difference between GH13 amylases and GH77 amylomaltases.     

Characterizing and controlling the inherent dynamics of cyclophilin-A

With the recent advances in NMR relaxation techniques, protein motions on functionally important timescales can be studied at atomic resolution. Here, we have used NMR-based relaxation experiments at several temperatures and both 600 and 900 MHz to characterize the inherent dynamics of the enzyme cyclophilin-A (CypA). We have discovered multiple chemical exchange processes within the enzyme that form a “dynamic continuum” that spans 20–30 Å comprising active site residues and residues proximal to the active site. By combining mutagenesis with these NMR relaxation techniques, a simple method of counting the dynamically sampled conformations has been developed. Surprisingly, a combination of point mutations has allowed for the specific regulation of many of the exchange processes that occur within CypA, suggesting that the dynamics of an enzyme may be engineered.     

Structural relationship between the enzymatic and streptococcal binding sites of human salivary alpha-amylase

Previous studies have demonstrated that human salivary alpha-amylase specifically binds to the oral bacterium Streptococcus gordonii. This interaction is inhibited by substrates such as starch and maltotriose suggesting that bacterial binding may involve the enzymatic site of amylase. Experiments were performed to determine if amylase bound to the bacterial surface possessed enzymatic activity. It was found that over one-half of the bound amylase was enzymatically active. In addition, bacterial-bound amylase hydrolyzed starch to glucose which was then metabolized to lactic acid by the bacteria. In further studies, the role of amylase's histidine residues in streptococcal binding and enzymatic function was assessed after their selective modification with diethyl pyrocarbonate. DEP-modified amylase showed a marked reduction in both enzymatic and streptococcal binding activities. These effects were diminished when DEP modification occurred in the presence of maltotriose. DEP-modified amylase had a significantly altered secondary structure when compared with native enzyme or amylase modified in the presence of maltotriose. Collectively, these results suggest that human salivary alpha-amylase may possess multiple sites for bacterial binding and enzymatic activity which share structural similarities.     

Structural Insights into Omega-Class Glutathione Transferases: A Snapshot of Enzyme Reduction and Identification of a Non-Catalytic Ligandin Site

Glutathione transferases (GSTs) are dimeric enzymes containing one active-site per monomer. The omega-class GSTs (hGSTO1-1 and hGSTO2-2 in humans) are homodimeric and carry out a range of reactions including the glutathione-dependant reduction of a range of compounds and the reduction of S-(phenacyl)glutathiones to acetophenones. Both types of reaction result in the formation of a mixed-disulfide of the enzyme with glutathione through the catalytic cysteine (C32). Recycling of the enzyme utilizes a second glutathione molecule and results in oxidized glutathione (GSSG) release. The crystal structure of an active-site mutant (C32A) of the hGSTO1-1 isozyme in complex with GSSG provides a snapshot of the enzyme in the process of regeneration. GSSG occupies both the G (GSH-binding) and H (hydrophobic-binding) sites and causes re-arrangement of some H-site residues. In the same structure we demonstrate the existence of a novel “ligandin” binding site deep within in the dimer interface of this enzyme, containing S-(4-nitrophenacyl)glutathione, an isozyme-specific substrate for hGSTO1-1. The ligandin site, conserved in Omega class GSTs from a range of species, is hydrophobic in nature and may represent the binding location for tocopherol esters that are uncompetitive hGSTO1-1 inhibitors.     

Crystal structure of the Glu328Gln mutant of Neisseria polysaccharea amylosucrase in complex with sucrose and maltoheptaose

Several enzymes acting on sucrose are found in glycoside hydrolase family 13 (the α–amylase family). They all transfer a glucosyl moiety from sucrose to an acceptor, but the products can be very different. The structure of a variant of one of these, the Glu328Gln mutant of Neisseria polysaccharea amylosucrase, has been determined in a ternary complex with sucrose and an oligosaccharide to 2.16 Å resolution using x-ray crystallography. Sucrose selectively binds in the active site and the oligosaccharide only binds at surface sites. When this structure is compared to structures of other enzymes acting on sucrose from glycoside hydrolase family 13, it is found that the active site residues are very similar around the glucose part of sucrose while much variation is seen around the fructose moiety.     

High Resolution Structures of the Human ABO(H) Blood Group Enzymes in Complex with Donor Analogs Reveal That the Enzymes Utilize Multiple Donor Conformations to Bind Substrates in a Stepwise Manner

Homologous glycosyltransferases α-(1→3)-N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase (GTA) and α-(1→3)-galactosyltransferase (GTB) catalyze the final step in ABO(H) blood group A and B antigen synthesis through sugar transfer from activated donor to the H antigen acceptor. These enzymes have a GT-A fold type with characteristic mobile polypeptide loops that cover the active site upon substrate binding and, despite intense investigation, many aspects of substrate specificity and catalysis remain unclear. The structures of GTA, GTB, and their chimeras have been determined to between 1.55 and 1.39 Å resolution in complex with natural donors UDP-Gal, UDP-Glc and, in an attempt to overcome one of the common problems associated with three-dimensional studies, the non-hydrolyzable donor analog UDP-phosphono-galactose (UDP-C-Gal). Whereas the uracil moieties of the donors are observed to maintain a constant location, the sugar moieties lie in four distinct conformations, varying from extended to the “tucked under” conformation associated with catalysis, each stabilized by different hydrogen bonding partners with the enzyme. Further, several structures show clear evidence that the donor sugar is disordered over two of the observed conformations and so provide evidence for stepwise insertion into the active site. Although the natural donors can both assume the tucked under conformation in complex with enzyme, UDP-C-Gal cannot. Whereas UDP-C-Gal was designed to be “isosteric” with natural donor, the small differences in structure imposed by changing the epimeric oxygen atom to carbon appear to render the enzyme incapable of binding the analog in the active conformation and so preclude its use as a substrate mimic in GTA and GTB.     

Metabolism of the reserve polysaccharide of Streptococcus mitis: Properties of a transglucosylase

1. A transglucosylase has been separated from cell extracts of Streptococcus mitis, and has been partially purified by chromatography on DEAE-cellulose. 2. The transglucosylase was present in the six strains of Streptococcus mitis that were examined, and the activity of the enzyme was the same whether the cells had grown on glucose or on maltose. Four of the strains could store intracellular iodophilic polysaccharide when grown on high concentrations of glucose or maltose (1%), but none of the strains stored polysaccharide during growth on 0·1% glucose. The activity of transglucosylase in cell extracts was the same whether or not the cells had stored polysaccharide. 3. The transglucosylase degrades amylose in the presence of a suitable acceptor, transferring one or more glucosyl residues from the non-reducing end of the donor to the non-reducing end of the acceptor. With [¹⁴C]glucose as acceptor the maltodextrins produced were labelled in the reducing glucose unit only. 4. The enzyme can synthesize higher maltodextrins from maltose and maltotriose. Maltotetraose is disproportionated to give products of sufficient chain length to give a stain with iodine. 5. The action pattern of S. mitis during the degradation of synthetic amylose was shown to be intermediate between the single-chain and multi-chain mechanism.     

Host-Specific Enzyme-Substrate Interactions in SPM-1 Metallo-β-Lactamase Are Modulated by Second Sphere Residues

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the most virulent and resistant non-fermenting Gram-negative pathogens in the clinic. Unfortunately, P. aeruginosa has acquired genes encoding metallo-β-lactamases (MβLs), enzymes able to hydrolyze most β-lactam antibiotics. SPM-1 is an MβL produced only by P. aeruginosa, while other MβLs are found in different bacteria. Despite similar active sites, the resistance profile of MβLs towards β-lactams changes from one enzyme to the other. SPM-1 is unique among pathogen-associated MβLs in that it contains “atypical” second sphere residues (S84, G121). Codon randomization on these positions and further selection of resistance-conferring mutants was performed. MICs, periplasmic enzymatic activity, Zn(II) requirements, and protein stability was assessed. Our results indicated that identity of second sphere residues modulates the substrate preferences and the resistance profile of SPM-1 expressed in P. aeruginosa. The second sphere residues found in wild type SPM-1 give rise to a substrate selectivity that is observed only in the periplasmic environment. These residues also allow SPM-1 to confer resistance in P. aeruginosa under Zn(II)-limiting conditions, such as those expected under infection. By optimizing the catalytic efficiency towards β-lactam antibiotics, the enzyme stability and the Zn(II) binding features, molecular evolution meets the specific needs of a pathogenic bacterial host by means of substitutions outside the active site.