NDM-1 Zn1-binding residue His116 plays critical roles in antibiotic hydrolysis

Functional implications of unusual NOS and SONOS covalent linkages found in proteins

The tertiary and quaternary structures of many proteins are stabilized by strong covalent forces, of which disulfide bonds are the most well known. A new type of intramolecular and intermolecular covalent bond has been recently reported, consisting of the Lys and Cys side-chains linked by an oxygen atom (NOS). These post-translational modifications are widely distributed amongst proteins, and are formed under oxidative conditions. Similar linkages are observed during antibiotic biosynthesis, where hydroxylamine intermediates are tethered to the sulfur of enzyme active site Cys residues. These linkages open the way to understanding protein structure and function, give new insights into enzyme catalysis and natural product biosynthesis, and offer new strategies for drug design.

A modified bonded model approach for molecular dynamics simulations of New Delhi Metallo-β-lactamase

Modelling metalloproteins using the classical force fields is challenging. Several methods have been devised to model metalloproteins in force fields. Of these methods, the bonded model, combined with Restrained Electrostatic Potential (RESP) charge fitting, proved its superiority. The latter method was facilitated by the development of the python-based Metal Centre Parameter Builder (MCPB.py) AmberTool. However, the standard bonded model method offered by the MCPB.py tool may not be appropriate for validating and refining the binding modes predicted by docking when crystal structures are lacking. That is because the representation of coordination interactions between any bound ligand and metal ions by covalent bonds can hinder the flexibility of the ligand. Therefore, a new modification to the standard bonded model approach is proposed here. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations based on the new modified bonded model (MBM) approach avoid the bias caused by coordination bonds and, unlike hybrid QM/MM MD, allow for sufficient sampling of the binding mode given the currently available computational power. The MBM MD approach reproduced the studied crystal structure conformations of New Delhi Metallo-β-lactamase 1 (NDM-1). Furthermore, the MBM approach described the binding interactions of intact β-lactams with NDM-1 reasonably, and predicted a non-productive binding mode for the poor NDM-1 substrate aztreonam whilst predicting productive binding modes for known good substrates. This study presents a useful MD method for metallo-β-lactamases and provides better understanding of β-lactam substrates recognition by NDM-1. The proposed MBM approach might also be useful in the investigation of other metal-containing protein targets.

The crystal structure of the H116Q mutant of NDM-1: An enzyme devoid of zinc ions

New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase 1 (NDM-1) is an important causative factor of antimicrobial resistance due to its efficient hydrolysis of a broad range of β-lactam compounds. The two zinc ions at the active site play essential roles in the NDM-1 catalytic activities. In a previous work, H116, one of the three ligands at the Zn1 site, was mutated in order to investigate the nature of zinc ion chelation. We report here the crystal structure of the NDM-1 H116Q mutant, that was designed to convert a B1 di-zinc enzyme into a B3 type, which either still binds two zinc ions or binds only one at the Zn2 site. The effect of mutation on the overall structure is minimal. Unexpectedly, no zinc ion was observed in the crystal structure. The Zn2-site ligating residue C221 forms a covalent bond with the nearby K121, a residue important in maintaining the active-site structure. The largest conformational changes were found at main-chain and side-chain atoms at residues 232-236 (loop 10), the proper configuration of which is known to be essential for substrate binding. The catalytic-site mutation caused little local changes, yet the effects were amplified and propagated to the substrate binding residues. There were big changes in the ψ angles of residues G232 and L234, which resulted in the side chain of N233 being displaced away from the substrate-binding site. In summary, we failed in turning a B1 enzyme into a B3 enzyme, yet we produced a zinc-less NDM-1 with residual activities.