Conformational changes in the metallo-beta-lactamase ImiS during the catalytic reaction: an EPR spectrokinetic study of Co(II)-spin label interactions

Metallo-β-lactamases in the Age of Multidrug Resistance: From Structure and Mechanism to Evolution, Dissemination, and Inhibitor Design

Antimicrobial resistance is one of the major problems in current practical medicine. The spread of genes coding for resistance determinants among bacteria challenges the use of approved antibiotics, narrowing the options for treatment. Resistance to carbapenems, last resort antibiotics, is a major concern. Metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) hydrolyze carbapenems, penicillins, and cephalosporins, becoming central to this problem. These enzymes diverge with respect to serine-β-lactamases by exhibiting a different fold, active site, and catalytic features. Elucidating their catalytic mechanism has been a big challenge in the field that has limited the development of useful inhibitors. This review covers exhaustively the details of the active-site chemistries, the diversity of MBL alleles, the catalytic mechanism against different substrates, and how this information has helped developing inhibitors. We also discuss here different aspects critical to understand the success of MBLs in conferring resistance: the molecular determinants of their dissemination, their cell physiology, from the biogenesis to the processing involved in the transit to the periplasm, and the uptake of the Zn(II) ions upon metal starvation conditions, such as those encountered during an infection. In this regard, the chemical, biochemical and microbiological aspects provide an integrative view of the current knowledge of MBLs.

A Degradation Product from Hydrolysate of Imipenem with Imis Broad-Spectrum Inhibits Metallo-β-Lactamases

Background: Infections caused by metallo-β-lactamases (MβLs)-producing antibiotic-resistant bacteria pose a severe threat to public health. The synergistic use of current antibiotics in combination with MβL inhibitors is a promising therapeutic mode against these antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Objectives: The study aimed to probe the inhibition of MβLs and obtain the active component, P1, in the degradation product after imipenem was hydrolyzed by ImiS. Methods: The hydrolysis of two carbapenems with MβL ImiS was monitored by UV-Vis in real-time, and the degradation product from the leaving group produced after imipenem was hydrolyzed (but not for faropenem) was purified by HPLC to give one component, P1. Results: Kinetic assays revealed that P1 exhibited a broad-spectrum inhibition against VIM-2, NDM-1, ImiS, and L1, from three sub-classes of MβLs, with IC50 values of 8 - 32, 13.8 - 29.3, and 14.2 - 19.2 µM, using imipenem, cefazolin, and nitrocefin as substrates, respectively. Also, P1 showed synergistic antibacterial efficacy against drug-resistant Escherichia coli producing VIM-2, NDM-1, ImiS, and L1, in combination with antibiotics, restoring 16 to 32-fold and 32 to 128-fold efficacies of imipenem and cefazolin, respectively. Spectroscopic and Ellman's reagent analyses suggested that P1, a mercaptoethyl-form imidamide, is a mechanism-based inhibitor, while faropenem has no substrate inhibition, due to the lack of a leaving group. Conclusions: This work reveals that the hydrolysate of imipenem, a carbapenem with a good leaving group, can be used in screening for broad-spectrum inhibitors of MβLs.

Probing the mechanisms of inhibition for various inhibitors of metallo-β-lactamases VIM-2 and NDM-1

To probe the mechanism of inhibition of several previously-published metallo-β-lactamase (MBL) inhibitors for the clinically-important MBL Verona integron-encoded metallo-β-lactamase 2 (VIM-2), equilibrium dialyses with metal analyses, native state electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), and UV-Vis spectrophotometry were utilized. The mechanisms of inhibition were analyzed for ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA); dipicolinic acid (DPA) and DPA analogs 6-(1H-tetrazol-5-yl)picolinic acid (1T5PA) and 4-(3-aminophenyl)pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylic acid (3AP-DPA); thiol-containing compounds, 2,3-dimercaprol, thiorphan, captopril, and tiopronin; and 5-(pyridine-3-sulfonamido)-1,3-thiazole-4-carboxylic acid (ANT-431). UV-Vis spectroscopy and native-state ESI-MS results showed the formation of ternary complexes between VIM-2 and 1T5PA, ANT-431, thiorphan, captopril, and tiopronin, while a metal stripping mechanism was shown with VIM-2 and EDTA and DPA. The same approaches were used to show the formation of a ternary complex between New Delhi Metallo-β-lactamase (NDM-1) and ANT-431. The studies presented herein show that most of the inhibitors utilize a similar mechanism of inhibition as previously reported for NDM-1. These studies also demonstrate that native mass spectrometry can be used to probe the mechanism of inhibition at lower enzyme/inhibitor concentrations than has previously been achieved.

A DNA aptamer reveals an allosteric site for inhibition in metallo-β-lactamases

The hydrolysis of β-lactam antibiotics by β-lactamase enzymes is the most prominent antibiotic resistance mechanism for many pathogenic bacteria. Out of this broad class of enzymes, metallo-β-lactamases are of special clinical interest because of their broad substrate specificities. Several in vitro inhibitors for various metallo-β-lactamases have been reported with no clinical efficacy. Previously, we described a 10-nucleotide single stranded DNA aptamer (10-mer) that inhibits Bacillus cereus 5/B/6 metallo-β-lactamase very effectively. Here, we find that the aptamer shows uncompetitive inhibition of Bacillus cereus 5/B/6 metallo-β-lactamase during cefuroxime hydrolysis. To understand the mechanism of inhibition, we report a 2.5 Å resolution X-ray crystal structure and solution-state NMR analysis of the free enzyme. Chemical shift perturbations were observed in the HSQC spectra for several residues upon titrating with increasing concentrations of the 10-mer. In the X-ray crystal structure, these residues are distal to the active site, suggesting an allosteric mechanism for the aptamer inhibition of the enzyme. HADDOCK molecular docking simulations suggest that the 10-mer docks 26 Å from the active site. We then mutated the three lysine residues in the basic binding patch to glutamine and measured the catalytic activity and inhibition by the 10-mer. No significant inhibition of these mutants was observed by the 10-mer as compared to wild type. Interestingly, mutation of Lys50 (Lys78; according to standard MBL numbering system) resulted in reduced enzymatic activity relative to wild type in the absence of inhibitor, further highlighting an allosteric mechanism for inhibition.

The Continuing Challenge of Metallo-β-Lactamase Inhibition: Mechanism Matters

Metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) are a significant clinical problem because they hydrolyze and inactivate nearly all β-lactam-containing antibiotics. These 'lifesaving drugs' constitute >50% of the available contemporary antibiotic arsenal. Despite the global spread of MBLs, MBL inhibitors have not yet appeared in clinical trials. Most MBL inhibitors target active site zinc ions and vary in mechanism from ternary complex formation to metal ion stripping. Importantly, differences in mechanism can impact pharmacology in terms of reversibility, target selectivity, and structure-activity relationship interpretation. This review surveys the mechanisms of MBL inhibitors and describes methods that determine the mechanism of inhibition to guide development of future therapeutics.

Azolylthioacetamide: A Highly Promising Scaffold for the Development of Metallo-β-lactamase Inhibitors

A new scaffold, azolylthioacetamide, was constructed and assayed against metallo-β-lactamases (MβLs). The obtained molecules specifically inhibited MβL ImiS, and 1c was found to be the most potent inhibitor, with a K i = 1.2 μM using imipenem as substrate. Structure-activity relationships reveal that the aromatic carboxyl improves inhibitory activity of the inhibitors, but the aliphatic carboxyl does not. Compounds 1c-d and 1h-i showed the best antibacterial activities against E. coli BL21(DE3) cells producing CcrA or ImiS, resulting in 32- and 8-fold reduction in MIC values, respectively; 1c and 1f-j resulted in a reduction in MIC against P. aeruginosa. Docking studies revealed that 1a, 1c, and 1d fit tightly into the substrate binding site of CphA as a proxy for ImiS with the aromatic carboxylate forming interactions with Lys224, the Zn(II) ion, the backbone of Asn233, and hydrophobic portions of the inhibitors aligning with hydrophobic patches of the protein surface.

Conformational dynamics of metallo-β-lactamase CcrA during catalysis investigated by using DEER spectroscopy

Previous crystallographic and mutagenesis studies have implicated the role of a position-conserved hairpin loop in the metallo-β-lactamases in substrate binding and catalysis. In an effort to probe the motion of that loop during catalysis, rapid-freeze-quench double electron-electron resonance (RFQ-DEER) spectroscopy was used to interrogate metallo-β-lactamase CcrA, which had a spin label at position 49 on the loop and spin labels (at positions 82, 126, or 233) 20-35 Å away from residue 49, during catalysis. At 10 ms after mixing, the DEER spectra show distance increases of 7, 10, and 13 Å between the spin label at position 49 and the spin labels at positions 82, 126, and 233, respectively. In contrast to previous hypotheses, these data suggest that the loop moves nearly 10 Å away from the metal center during catalysis and that the loop does not clamp down on the substrate during catalysis. This study demonstrates that loop motion during catalysis can be interrogated on the millisecond time scale.

X-ray absorption spectroscopy of dinuclear metallohydrolases

In this mini-review, we briefly discuss the physical origin of x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) before illustrating its application using dinuclear metallohydrolases as exemplary systems. The systems we have selected for illustrative purposes present a challenging problem for XAS, one that is ideal to demonstrate the potential of this methodology for structure/function studies of metalloenzymes in general. When the metal ion is redox active, XAS provides a sensitive measure of oxidation-state-dependent differences. When the metal ion is zinc, XAS is the only spectroscopic method that will provide easily accessible structural information in solution. In the case of heterodimetallic sites, XAS has the unique ability to interrogate each metal site independently in the same sample. One of the strongest advantages of XAS is its ability to examine metal ion site structures with crystallographic precision, without the need for a crystal. This is key for studying flexible metal ion sites, such as those described in the selected examples, because it allows one to monitor structural changes that occur during substrate turnover.

Studying the active-site loop movement of the São Paolo metallo-β-lactamase-1†Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Procedures for protein expression and purification, 19F-labelling, crystallisation, data collection, and structure determination, table of crystallographic data, table of crystallographic parameters and refinement statistics, figures showing binding mode and distances, procedures for mass spectrometry measurements, differential scanning fluorimetry measurements, stopped-flow measurements and other kinetics measurements. See DOI: 10.1039/c4sc01752hClick here for additional data file

Metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) catalyse the hydrolysis of almost all β-lactam antibiotics. We report biophysical and kinetic studies on the São Paulo MBL (SPM-1), which reveal its Zn(ii) ion usage and mechanism as characteristic of the clinically important di-Zn(ii) dependent B1 MBL subfamily. Biophysical analyses employing crystallography, dynamic 19F NMR and ion mobility mass spectrometry, however, reveal that SPM-1 possesses loop and mobile element regions characteristic of the B2 MBLs. These include a mobile α3 region which is important in catalysis and determining inhibitor selectivity. SPM-1 thus appears to be a hybrid B1/B2 MBL. The results have implications for MBL evolution and inhibitor design.

Dilution of dipolar interactions in a spin-labeled, multimeric metalloenzyme for DEER studies

The metallo-β-lactamases (MβLs), which require one or two Zn(II) ions in their active sites for activity, hydrolyze the amide bond in β-lactam-containing antibiotics, and render the antibiotics inactive. All known MβLs contain a mobile element near their active sites, and these mobile elements have been implicated in the catalytic mechanisms of these enzymes. However little is known about the dynamics of these elements. In this study, we prepared a site-specific, double spin-labeled analog of homotetrameric MβL L1 with spin labels at positions 163 and 286 and analyzed the sample with DEER (double electron electron resonance) spectroscopy. Four unique distances were observed in the DEER distance distribution, and these distances were assigned to the desired intramolecular dipolar coupling (between spin labels at positions 163 and 286 in one subunit) and to intermolecular dipolar couplings. To rid the spin-labeled analog of L1 of the intermolecular couplings, spin-labeled L1 was "diluted" by unfolding/refolding the spin-labeled enzyme in the presence of excess wild-type L1. DEER spectra of the resulting, spin-diluted enzyme revealed a single distance corresponding to the desire intramolecular dipolar coupling.

Spectroscopic and mechanistic studies of heterodimetallic forms of metallo-β-lactamase NDM-1

In an effort to characterize the roles of each metal ion in metallo-β-lactamase NDM-1, heterodimetallic analogues (CoCo-, ZnCo-, and CoCd-) of the enzyme were generated and characterized. UV-vis, (1)H NMR, EPR, and EXAFS spectroscopies were used to confirm the fidelity of the metal substitutions, including the presence of a homogeneous, heterodimetallic cluster, with a single-atom bridge. This marks the first preparation of a metallo-β-lactamase selectively substituted with a paramagnetic metal ion, Co(II), either in the Zn1 (CoCd-NDM-1) or in the Zn2 site (ZnCo-NDM-1), as well as both (CoCo-NDM-1). We then used these metal-substituted forms of the enzyme to probe the reaction mechanism, using steady-state and stopped-flow kinetics, stopped-flow fluorescence, and rapid-freeze-quench EPR. Both metal sites show significant effects on the kinetic constants, and both paramagnetic variants (CoCd- and ZnCo-NDM-1) showed significant structural changes on reaction with substrate. These changes are discussed in terms of a minimal kinetic mechanism that incorporates all of the data.

Biapenem inactivation by B2 metallo β-lactamases: energy landscape of the hydrolysis reaction

Background

A general mechanism has been proposed for metallo β-lactamases (MβLs), in which deprotonation of a water molecule near the Zn ion(s) results in the formation of a hydroxide ion that attacks the carbonyl oxygen of the β-lactam ring. However, because of the absence of X-ray structures that show the exact position of the antibiotic in the reactant state (RS) it has been difficult to obtain a definitive validation of this mechanism.

Methodology/Principal Findings

We have employed a strategy to identify the RS, which does not rely on substrate docking and/or molecular dynamics. Starting from the X-ray structure of the enzyme:product complex (the product state, PS), a QM/MM scan was used to drive the reaction uphill from product back to reactant. Since in this process also the enzyme changes from PS to RS, we actually generate the enzyme:substrate complex from product and avoid the uncertainties associated with models of the reactant state. We used this strategy to study the reaction of biapenem hydrolysis by B2 MβL CphA. QM/MM simulations were carried out under 14 different ionization states of the active site, in order to generate potential energy surfaces (PESs) corresponding to a variety of possible reaction paths.

Conclusions/Significance

The calculations support a model for biapenem hydrolysis by CphA, in which the nucleophile that attacks the β-lactam ring is not the water molecule located in proximity of the active site Zn, but a second water molecule, hydrogen bonded to the first one, which is used up in the reaction, and thus is not visible in the X-ray structure of the enzyme:product complex.