Source of phosphate in the enzymic reaction as a point of distinction among aminoglycoside 2''-phosphotransferases

Prevalence of ciprofloxacin resistance and associated genetic determinants differed among Campylobacter isolated from human and poultry meat sources in Pennsylvania

Poultry is the primary source of Campylobacter infections and severe campylobacteriosis cases are treated with macrolides and fluoroquinolones. However, these drugs are less effective against antimicrobial-resistant strains. Here, we investigated the prevalence of phenotypic antimicrobial resistance and associated resistance genetic determinants in Campylobacter isolates collected from human clinical (N = 123) and meat (N = 80) sources in Pennsylvania in 2017 and 2018. Our goal was to assess potential differences in the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in Campylobacter isolated from human and poultry meat sources in Pennsylvania and to assess the accuracy of predicting antimicrobial resistance phenotypes based on resistance genotypes. We whole genome sequenced isolates and identified genetic resistance determinants using the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System Campylobacter AMR workflow v2.0 in GalaxyTrakr. Phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility testing was carried out using the E-Test and Sensititre CAMPYCMV methods for human clinical and poultry meat isolates, respectively, and the results were interpreted using the EUCAST epidemiological cutoff values. The 193 isolates were represented by 85 MLST sequence types and 23 clonal complexes, suggesting high genetic diversity. Resistance to erythromycin was confirmed in 6% human and 4% meat isolates. Prevalence of ciprofloxacin resistance was significantly higher in human isolates as compared to meat isolates. A good concordance was observed between phenotypic resistance and the presence of the corresponding known resistance genetic determinants.

Structural basis for the diversity of the mechanism of nucleotide hydrolysis by the aminoglycoside-2''-phosphotransferases

Aminoglycoside phosphotransferases (APHs) are one of three families of aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes that confer high-level resistance to the aminoglycoside antibiotics via enzymatic modification. This has now rendered many clinically important drugs almost obsolete. The APHs specifically phosphorylate hydroxyl groups on the aminoglycosides using a nucleotide triphosphate as the phosphate donor. The APH(2'') family comprises four distinct members, isolated primarily from Enterococcus sp., which vary in their substrate specificities and also in their preference for the phosphate donor (ATP or GTP). The structure of the ternary complex of APH(2'')-IIIa with GDP and kanamycin was solved at 1.34 Å resolution and was compared with substrate-bound structures of APH(2'')-Ia, APH(2'')-IIa and APH(2'')-IVa. In contrast to the case for APH(2'')-Ia, where it was proposed that the enzyme-mediated hydrolysis of GTP is regulated by conformational changes in its N-terminal domain upon GTP binding, APH(2'')-IIa, APH(2'')-IIIa and APH(2'')-IVa show no such regulatory mechanism, primarily owing to structural differences in the N-terminal domains of these enzymes.

Structural basis for the substrate recognition of aminoglycoside 7''-phosphotransferase-Ia from Streptomyces hygroscopicus

Hygromycin B (HygB) is one of the aminoglycoside antibiotics, and it is widely used as a reagent in molecular-biology experiments. Two kinases are known to inactivate HygB through phosphorylation: aminoglycoside 7''-phosphotransferase-Ia [APH(7'')-Ia] from Streptomyces hygroscopicus and aminoglycoside 4-phosphotransferase-Ia [APH(4)-Ia] from Escherichia coli. They phosphorylate the hydroxyl groups at positions 7'' and 4 of the HygB molecule, respectively. Previously, the crystal structure of APH(4)-Ia was reported as a ternary complex with HygB and 5'-adenylyl-β,γ-imidodiphosphate (AMP-PNP). To investigate the differences in the substrate-recognition mechanism between APH(7'')-Ia and APH(4)-Ia, the crystal structure of APH(7'')-Ia complexed with HygB is reported. The overall structure of APH(7'')-Ia is similar to those of other aminoglycoside phosphotransferases, including APH(4)-Ia, and consists of an N-terminal lobe (N-lobe) and a C-terminal lobe (C-lobe). The latter also comprises a core and a helical domain. Accordingly, the APH(7'')-Ia and APH(4)-Ia structures fit globally when the structures are superposed at three catalytically important conserved residues, His, Asp and Asn, in the Brenner motif, which is conserved in aminoglycoside phosphotransferases as well as in eukaryotic protein kinases. On the other hand, the phosphorylated hydroxyl groups of HygB in both structures come close to the Asp residue, and the HygB molecules in each structure lie in opposite directions. These molecules were held by the helical domain in the C-lobe, which exhibited structural differences between the two kinases. Furthermore, based on the crystal structures of APH(7'')-Ia and APH(4)-Ia, some mutated residues in their thermostable mutants reported previously were located at the same positions in the two enzymes.

Whole-Genome Sequence Analysis of Multidrug-Resistant Campylobacter Isolates: a Focus on Aminoglycoside Resistance Determinants

A whole-genome sequencing (WGS) approach was conducted in order to identify the molecular determinants associated with antimicrobial resistance in 12 multidrug-resistant Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli isolates, with a focus on aminoglycoside resistance determinants. Two variants of a new aminoglycoside phosphotransferase gene [aph(2″)-Ii1 and aph(2″)-Ii2 ] putatively associated with gentamicin resistance were found. In addition, the following new genes were identified for the first time in Campylobacter: a lincosamide nucleotidyltransferase gene [lnu(G)], likely associated with lincomycin resistance, and two resistance enzyme genes (spw and apmA) similar to those found in Staphylococcus aureus, which may confer spectinomycin and gentamicin resistance, respectively. A C1192T mutation of the 16S rRNA gene that may be involved in spectinomycin resistance was also found in a C. coli isolate. Genes identified in the present study were located either on the bacterial chromosome or on plasmids that could be transferred naturally. Their role in aminoglycoside resistance remains to be supported by genetic studies. Regarding the other antimicrobial agents studied, i.e., ampicillin, ciprofloxacin, erythromycin, and tetracycline, a perfect correlation between antimicrobial phenotypes and genotypes was found. Overall, our data suggest that WGS analysis is a powerful tool for identifying resistance determinants in Campylobacter and can disclose the full genetic elements associated with resistance, including antimicrobial compounds not tested routinely in antimicrobial susceptibility testing.

Conformational Plasticity in Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor-Kinase Interactions Revealed with Fluorescence Spectroscopy and Theoretical Calculations

To understand drug-protein dynamics, it is necessary to account for drug molecular flexibility and binding site plasticity. Herein, we exploit fluorescence from a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, AG1478, as a reporter of its conformation and binding site environment when complexed with its cognate kinase. Water-soluble kinases, aminoglycoside phosphotransferase APH(3')-Ia and mitogen-activated protein kinase 14 (MAPK14), were chosen for this study. On the basis of our prior work, the AG1478 conformation (planar or twisted) was inferred from the fluorescence excitation spectrum and the polarity of the AG1478-binding site was deduced from the fluorescence emission spectrum, while red-edge excitation shift (REES) probed the heterogeneity of the binding site (protein conformation and hydration) distributions in the protein conformational ensemble. In the AG1478-APH(3')-Ia complex, both twisted (or partially twisted) and planar AG1478 conformations were evidenced from emission wavelength-dependent excitation spectra. The binding site environment provided by APH(3')-Ia was moderately polar (λ_max = 480 nm) with evidence for considerable heterogeneity (REES = 34 nm). In contrast, in the AG1478-MAPK14 complex, AG1478 was in a predominantly planar conformation with a lower degree of conformational heterogeneity. The binding site environment provided by the MAPK14 protein was of relatively low polarity (λ_max = 430 nm) with a smaller degree of heterogeneity (REES = 11 nm). The results are compared with the available X-ray data and discussed in the context of our current understanding of tyrosine kinase inhibitor conformation and protein conformational ensembles.

Antibiotic Binding Drives Catalytic Activation of Aminoglycoside Kinase APH(2″)-Ia

APH(2″)-Ia is a widely disseminated resistance factor frequently found in clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus and pathogenic enterococci, where it is constitutively expressed. APH(2″)-Ia confers high-level resistance to gentamicin and related aminoglycosides through phosphorylation of the antibiotic using guanosine triphosphate (GTP) as phosphate donor. We have determined crystal structures of the APH(2″)-Ia in complex with GTP analogs, guanosine diphosphate, and aminoglycosides. These structures collectively demonstrate that aminoglycoside binding to the GTP-bound kinase drives conformational changes that bring distant regions of the protein into contact. These changes in turn drive a switch of the triphosphate cofactor from an inactive, stabilized conformation to a catalytically competent active conformation. This switch has not been previously reported for antibiotic kinases or for the structurally related eukaryotic protein kinases. This catalytic triphosphate switch presents a means by which the enzyme can curtail wasteful hydrolysis of GTP in the absence of aminoglycosides, providing an evolutionary advantage to this enzyme.

Aminoglycoside binding and catalysis specificity of aminoglycoside 2″-phosphotransferase IVa: A thermodynamic, structural and kinetic study

BACKGROUND

Aminoglycoside O-phosphotransferases make up a large class of bacterial enzymes that is widely distributed among pathogens and confer a high resistance to several clinically used aminoglycoside antibiotics. Aminoglycoside 2″-phosphotransferase IVa, APH(2″)-IVa, is an important member of this class, but there is little information on the thermodynamics of aminoglycoside binding and on the nature of its rate-limiting step.

METHODS

We used isothermal titration calorimetry, electrostatic potential calculations, molecular dynamics simulations and X-ray crystallography to study the interactions between the enzyme and different aminoglycosides. We determined the rate-limiting step of the reaction by the means of transient kinetic measurements.

RESULTS

For the first time, Kd values were determined directly for APH(2″)-IVa and different aminoglycosides. The affinity of the enzyme seems to anti-correlate with the molecular weight of the ligand, suggesting a limited degree of freedom in the binding site. The main interactions are electrostatic bonds between the positively charged amino groups of aminoglycosides and Glu or Asp residues of APH. In spite of the significantly different ratio Kd/Km, there is no large difference in the transient kinetics obtained with the different aminoglycosides. We show that a product release step is rate-limiting for the overall reaction.

CONCLUSIONS

APH(2″)-IVa has a higher affinity for aminoglycosides carrying an amino group in 2' and 6', but tighter bindings do not correlate with higher catalytic efficiencies. As with APH(3')-IIIa, an intermediate containing product is preponderant during the steady state.

GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE

This intermediate may constitute a good target for future drug design.

The Biosynthesis of Capuramycin-type Antibiotics: IDENTIFICATION OF THE A-102395 BIOSYNTHETIC GENE CLUSTER, MECHANISM OF SELF-RESISTANCE, AND FORMATION OF URIDINE-5'-CARBOXAMIDE

A-500359s, A-503083s, and A-102395 are capuramycin-type nucleoside antibiotics that were discovered using a screen to identify inhibitors of bacterial translocase I, an essential enzyme in peptidoglycan cell wall biosynthesis. Like the parent capuramycin, A-500359s and A-503083s consist of three structural components: a uridine-5'-carboxamide (CarU), a rare unsaturated hexuronic acid, and an aminocaprolactam, the last of which is substituted by an unusual arylamine-containing polyamide in A-102395. The biosynthetic gene clusters for A-500359s and A-503083s have been reported, and two genes encoding a putative non-heme Fe(II)-dependent α-ketoglutarate:UMP dioxygenase and an l-Thr:uridine-5'-aldehyde transaldolase were uncovered, suggesting that C-C bond formation during assembly of the high carbon (C6) sugar backbone of CarU proceeds from the precursors UMP and l-Thr to form 5'-C-glycyluridine (C7) as a biosynthetic intermediate. Here, isotopic enrichment studies with the producer of A-503083s were used to indeed establish l-Thr as the direct source of the carboxamide of CarU. With this knowledge, the A-102395 gene cluster was subsequently cloned and characterized. A genetic system in the A-102395-producing strain was developed, permitting the inactivation of several genes, including those encoding the dioxygenase (cpr19) and transaldolase (cpr25), which abolished the production of A-102395, thus confirming their role in biosynthesis. Heterologous production of recombinant Cpr19 and CapK, the transaldolase homolog involved in A-503083 biosynthesis, confirmed their expected function. Finally, a phosphotransferase (Cpr17) conferring self-resistance was functionally characterized. The results provide the opportunity to use comparative genomics along with in vivo and in vitro approaches to probe the biosynthetic mechanism of these intriguing structures.

Structure of the bifunctional aminoglycoside-resistance enzyme AAC(6')-Ie-APH(2'')-Ia revealed by crystallographic and small-angle X-ray scattering analysis

Broad-spectrum resistance to aminoglycoside antibiotics in clinically important Gram-positive staphylococcal and enterococcal pathogens is primarily conferred by the bifunctional enzyme AAC(6')-Ie-APH(2'')-Ia. This enzyme possesses an N-terminal coenzyme A-dependent acetyltransferase domain [AAC(6')-Ie] and a C-terminal GTP-dependent phosphotransferase domain [APH(2'')-Ia], and together they produce resistance to almost all known aminoglycosides in clinical use. Despite considerable effort over the last two or more decades, structural details of AAC(6')-Ie-APH(2'')-Ia have remained elusive. In a recent breakthrough, the structure of the isolated C-terminal APH(2'')-Ia enzyme was determined as the binary Mg2GDP complex. Here, the high-resolution structure of the N-terminal AAC(6')-Ie enzyme is reported as a ternary kanamycin/coenzyme A abortive complex. The structure of the full-length bifunctional enzyme has subsequently been elucidated based upon small-angle X-ray scattering data using the two crystallographic models. The AAC(6')-Ie enzyme is joined to APH(2'')-Ia by a short, predominantly rigid linker at the N-terminal end of a long α-helix. This α-helix is in turn intrinsically associated with the N-terminus of APH(2'')-Ia. This structural arrangement supports earlier observations that the presence of the intact α-helix is essential to the activity of both functionalities of the full-length AAC(6')-Ie-APH(2'')-Ia enzyme.

Structure of the phosphotransferase domain of the bifunctional aminoglycoside-resistance enzyme AAC(6')-Ie-APH(2'')-Ia

The bifunctional acetyltransferase(6')-Ie-phosphotransferase(2'')-Ia [AAC(6')-Ie-APH(2'')-Ia] is the most important aminoglycoside-resistance enzyme in Gram-positive bacteria, conferring resistance to almost all known aminoglycoside antibiotics in clinical use. Owing to its importance, this enzyme has been the focus of intensive research since its isolation in the mid-1980s but, despite much effort, structural details of AAC(6')-Ie-APH(2'')-Ia have remained elusive. The structure of the Mg2GDP complex of the APH(2'')-Ia domain of the bifunctional enzyme has now been determined at 2.3 Å resolution. The structure of APH(2'')-Ia is reminiscent of the structures of other aminoglycoside phosphotransferases, having a two-domain architecture with the nucleotide-binding site located at the junction of the two domains. Unlike the previously characterized APH(2'')-IIa and APH(2'')-IVa enzymes, which are capable of utilizing both ATP and GTP as the phosphate donors, APH(2'')-Ia uses GTP exclusively in the phosphorylation of the aminoglycoside antibiotics, and in this regard closely resembles the GTP-dependent APH(2'')-IIIa enzyme. In APH(2'')-Ia this GTP selectivity is governed by the presence of a `gatekeeper' residue, Tyr100, the side chain of which projects into the active site and effectively blocks access to the adenine-binding template. Mutation of this tyrosine residue to a less bulky phenylalanine provides better access for ATP to the NTP-binding template and converts APH(2'')-Ia into a dual-specificity enzyme.

Structure-guided optimization of protein kinase inhibitors reverses aminoglycoside antibiotic resistance

Activity of the aminoglycoside phosphotransferase APH(3')-Ia leads to resistance to aminoglycoside antibiotics in pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria, and contributes to the clinical obsolescence of this class of antibiotics. One strategy to rescue compromised antibiotics such as aminoglycosides is targeting the enzymes that confer resistance with small molecules. We demonstrated previously that ePK (eukaryotic protein kinase) inhibitors could inhibit APH enzymes, owing to the structural similarity between these two enzyme families. However, limited structural information of enzyme-inhibitor complexes hindered interpretation of the results. In addition, cross-reactivity of compounds between APHs and ePKs represents an obstacle to their use as aminoglycoside adjuvants to rescue aminoglycoside antibiotic activity. In the present study, we structurally and functionally characterize inhibition of APH(3')-Ia by three diverse chemical scaffolds, anthrapyrazolone, 4-anilinoquinazoline and PP (pyrazolopyrimidine), and reveal distinctions in the binding mode of anthrapyrazolone and PP compounds to APH(3')-Ia compared with ePKs. Using this observation, we identify PP derivatives that select against ePKs, attenuate APH(3')-Ia activity and rescue aminoglycoside antibiotic activity against a resistant Escherichia coli strain. The structures described in the present paper and the inhibition studies provide an important opportunity for structure-based design of compounds to target aminoglycoside phosphotransferases for inhibition, potentially overcoming this form of antibiotic resistance.

Characterization of ribosomal binding and antibacterial activities using two orthogonal high-throughput screens

We report here the affinity and antibacterial activity of a structurally similar class of neomycin dimers. The affinity of the dimer library for rRNA was established by using a screen that measures the displacement of fluorescein-neomycin (F-neo) probe from RNA. A rapid growth inhibition assay using a single drug concentration was used to examine the antibacterial activity. The structure-activity relationship data were then rapidly analyzed using a two-dimensional ribosomal binding-bacterial inhibition plot analysis.

Prospects for circumventing aminoglycoside kinase mediated antibiotic resistance

Aminoglycosides are a class of antibiotics with a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity. Unfortunately, resistance in clinical isolates is pervasive, rendering many aminoglycosides ineffective. The most widely disseminated means of resistance to this class of antibiotics is inactivation of the drug by aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes (AMEs). There are two principal strategies to overcoming the effects of AMEs. The first approach involves the design of novel aminoglycosides that can evade modification. Although this strategy has yielded a number of superior aminoglycoside variants, their efficacy cannot be sustained in the long term. The second approach entails the development of molecules that interfere with the mechanism of AMEs such that the activity of aminoglycosides is preserved. Although such a molecule has yet to enter clinical development, the search for AME inhibitors has been greatly facilitated by the wealth of structural information amassed in recent years. In particular, aminoglycoside phosphotransferases or kinases (APHs) have been studied extensively and crystal structures of a number of APHs with diverse regiospecificity and substrate specificity have been elucidated. In this review, we present a comprehensive overview of the available APH structures and recent progress in APH inhibitor development, with a focus on the structure-guided strategies.

Bulky "gatekeeper" residue changes the cosubstrate specificity of aminoglycoside 2''-phosphotransferase IIa

The aminoglycoside 2"-phosphotransferases APH(2")-IIa and APH(2")-IVa can utilize ATP and GTP as cosubstrates, since both enzymes possess overlapping but discrete structural templates for ATP and GTP binding. APH(2″)-IIIa uses GTP exclusively, because its ATP-binding template is blocked by a bulky tyrosine "gatekeeper" residue. Replacement of the "gatekeeper" residues M85 and F95 in APH(2")-IIa and APH(2")-IVa, respectively, by tyrosine does not significantly change the antibiotic susceptibility profiles produced by the enzymes. In APH(2")-IIa, M85Y substitution results in an ~10-fold decrease in the K(m) value of GTP and an ~320-fold increase in the K(m) value of ATP. In APH(2")-IVa, F95Y substitution results in a modest decrease in the K(m) values of both GTP and ATP. Structural analysis indicates that in the APH(2")-IIa M85Y mutant, tyrosine blocks access of ATP to the correct position in the binding site, while the larger nucleoside triphosphate (NTP)-binding pocket of the APH(2")-IVa F95Y mutant allows the tyrosine to move away, thus giving access to the ATP-binding template.

Novel aminoglycoside 2''-phosphotransferase identified in a gram-negative pathogen

Aminoglycoside 2″-phosphotransferases are the major aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes in clinical isolates of enterococci and staphylococci. We describe a novel aminoglycoside 2″-phosphotransferase from the Gram-negative pathogen Campylobacter jejuni, which shares 78% amino acid sequence identity with the APH(2″)-Ia domain of the bifunctional aminoglycoside-modifying enzyme aminoglycoside (6') acetyltransferase-Ie/aminoglycoside 2″-phosphotransferase-Ia or AAC(6')-Ie/APH(2″)-Ia from Gram-positive cocci, which we called APH(2″)-If. This enzyme confers resistance to the 4,6-disubstituted aminoglycosides kanamycin, tobramycin, dibekacin, gentamicin, and sisomicin, but not to arbekacin, amikacin, isepamicin, or netilmicin, but not to any of the 4,5-disubstituted antibiotics tested. Steady-state kinetic studies demonstrated that GTP, and not ATP, is the preferred cosubstrate for APH(2″)-If. The enzyme phosphorylates the majority of 4,6-disubstituted aminoglycosides with high catalytic efficiencies (k(cat)/K(m) = 10(5) to 10(7) M(-1) s(-1)), while the catalytic efficiencies against the 4,6-disubstituted antibiotics amikacin and isepamicin are 1 to 2 orders of magnitude lower, due mainly to the low apparent affinities of these substrates for the enzyme. Both 4,5-disubstituted antibiotics and the atypical aminoglycoside neamine are not substrates of APH(2″)-If, but are inhibitors. The antibiotic susceptibility and substrate profiles of APH(2″)-If are very similar to those of the APH(2″)-Ia phosphotransferase domain of the bifunctional AAC(6')-Ie/APH(2″)-Ia enzyme.

Revisiting the nucleotide and aminoglycoside substrate specificity of the bifunctional aminoglycoside acetyltransferase(6')-Ie/aminoglycoside phosphotransferase(2'')-Ia enzyme

The bifunctional aminoglycoside-modifying enzyme aminoglycoside acetyltransferase(6')-Ie/aminoglycoside phosphotransferase(2″)-Ia, or AAC(6')-Ie/APH(2″)-Ia, is the major source of aminoglycoside resistance in gram-positive bacterial pathogens. In previous studies, using ATP as the cosubstrate, it was reported that the APH(2″)-Ia domain of this enzyme is unique among aminoglycoside phosphotransferases, having the ability to inactivate an unusually broad spectrum of aminoglycosides, including 4,6- and 4,5-disubstituted and atypical. We recently demonstrated that GTP, and not ATP, is the preferred cosubstrate of this enzyme. We now show, using competition assays between ATP and GTP, that GTP is the exclusive phosphate donor at intracellular nucleotide levels. In light of these findings, we reevaluated the substrate profile of the phosphotransferase domain of this clinically important enzyme. Steady-state kinetic characterization using the phosphate donor GTP demonstrates that AAC(6')-Ie/APH(2″)-Ia phosphorylates 4,6-disubstituted aminoglycosides with high efficiency (k(cat)/K(m) = 10(5)-10(7) M(-1) s(-1)). Despite this proficiency, no resistance is conferred to some of these antibiotics by the enzyme in vivo. We now show that phosphorylation of 4,5-disubstituted and atypical aminoglycosides are negligible and thus these antibiotics are not substrates. Instead, these aminoglycosides tend to stimulate an intrinsic GTPase activity of the enzyme. Taken together, our data show that the bifunctional enzyme efficiently phosphorylates only 4,6-disubstituted antibiotics; however, phosphorylation does not necessarily result in bacterial resistance. Hence, the APH(2″)-Ia domain of the bifunctional AAC(6')-Ie/APH(2″)-Ia enzyme is a bona fide GTP-dependent kinase with a narrow substrate profile, including only 4,6-disubstituted aminoglycosides.

ABC1K atypical kinases in plants: filling the organellar kinase void

Surprisingly few protein kinases have been demonstrated in chloroplasts or mitochondria. Here, we discuss the activity of bc(1) complex kinase (ABC1K) protein family, which we suggest locate in mitochondria and plastids, thus filling the kinase void. The ABC1Ks are atypical protein kinases and their ancestral function is the regulation of quinone synthesis. ABC1Ks have proliferated from one or two members in non-photosynthetic organisms to more than 16 members in algae and higher plants. In this review, we reconstruct the evolutionary history of the ABC1K family, provide a functional domain analysis for angiosperms and a nomenclature for ABC1Ks in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), rice (Oryza sativa) and maize (Zea mays). Finally, we hypothesize that targets of ABC1Ks include enzymes of prenyl-lipid metabolism as well as components of the organellar gene expression machineries.

Structural basis for dual nucleotide selectivity of aminoglycoside 2''-phosphotransferase IVa provides insight on determinants of nucleotide specificity of aminoglycoside kinases

Enzymatic phosphorylation through a family of enzymes called aminoglycoside O-phosphotransferases (APHs) is a major mechanism by which bacteria confer resistance to aminoglycoside antibiotics. Members of the APH(2″) subfamily are of particular clinical interest because of their prevalence in pathogenic strains and their broad substrate spectra. APH(2″) enzymes display differential preferences between ATP or GTP as the phosphate donor, with aminoglycoside 2″-phosphotransferase IVa (APH(2″)-IVa) being a member that utilizes both nucleotides at comparable efficiencies. We report here four crystal structures of APH(2″)-IVa, two of the wild type enzyme and two of single amino acid mutants, each in complex with either adenosine or guanosine. Together, these structures afford a detailed look at the nucleoside-binding site architecture for this enzyme and reveal key elements that confer dual nucleotide specificity, including a solvent network in the interior of the nucleoside-binding pocket and the conformation of an interdomain linker loop. Steady state kinetic studies, as well as sequence and structural comparisons with members of the APH(2″) subfamily and other aminoglycoside kinases, rationalize the different substrate preferences for these enzymes. Finally, despite poor overall sequence similarity and structural homology, analysis of the nucleoside-binding pocket of APH(2″)-IVa shows a striking resemblance to that of eukaryotic casein kinase 2 (CK2), which also exhibits dual nucleotide specificity. These results, in complement with the multitude of existing inhibitors against CK2, can serve as a structural basis for the design of nucleotide-competitive inhibitors against clinically relevant APH enzymes.

Aminoglycoside 2''-phosphotransferase IIIa (APH(2'')-IIIa) prefers GTP over ATP: structural templates for nucleotide recognition in the bacterial aminoglycoside-2'' kinases

Contrary to the accepted dogma that ATP is the canonical phosphate donor in aminoglycoside kinases and protein kinases, it was recently demonstrated that all members of the bacterial aminoglycoside 2''-phosphotransferase IIIa (APH(2'')) aminoglycoside kinase family are unique in their ability to utilize GTP as a cofactor for antibiotic modification. Here we describe the structural determinants for GTP recognition in these enzymes. The crystal structure of the GTP-dependent APH(2'')-IIIa shows that although this enzyme has templates for both ATP and GTP binding superimposed on a single nucleotide specificity motif, access to the ATP-binding template is blocked by a bulky tyrosine residue. Substitution of this tyrosine by a smaller amino acid opens access to the ATP template. Similar GTP binding templates are conserved in other bacterial aminoglycoside kinases, whereas in the structurally related eukaryotic protein kinases this template is less conserved. The aminoglycoside kinases are important antibiotic resistance enzymes in bacteria, whose wide dissemination severely limits available therapeutic options, and the GTP binding templates could be exploited as new, previously unexplored targets for inhibitors of these clinically important enzymes.

Multiple keys for a single lock: the unusual structural plasticity of the nucleotidyltransferase (4')/kanamycin complex

The most common mode of bacterial resistance to aminoglycoside antibiotics is the enzyme-catalysed chemical modification of the drug. Over the last two decades, significant efforts in medicinal chemistry have been focused on the design of non- inactivable antibiotics. Unfortunately, this strategy has met with limited success on account of the remarkably wide substrate specificity of aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes. To understand the mechanisms behind substrate promiscuity, we have performed a comprehensive experimental and theoretical analysis of the molecular-recognition processes that lead to antibiotic inactivation by Staphylococcus aureus nucleotidyltransferase 4'(ANT(4')), a clinically relevant protein. According to our results, the ability of this enzyme to inactivate structurally diverse polycationic molecules relies on three specific features of the catalytic region. First, the dominant role of electrostatics in aminoglycoside recognition, in combination with the significant extension of the enzyme anionic regions, confers to the protein/antibiotic complex a highly dynamic character. The motion deduced for the bound antibiotic seem to be essential for the enzyme action and probably provide a mechanism to explore alternative drug inactivation modes. Second, the nucleotide recognition is exclusively mediated by the inorganic fragment. In fact, even inorganic triphosphate can be employed as a substrate. Third, ANT(4') seems to be equipped with a duplicated basic catalyst that is able to promote drug inactivation through different reactive geometries. This particular combination of features explains the enzyme versatility and renders the design of non-inactivable derivatives a challenging task.

Crystal structures of antibiotic-bound complexes of aminoglycoside 2''-phosphotransferase IVa highlight the diversity in substrate binding modes among aminoglycoside kinases

Aminoglycoside 2''-phosphotransferase IVa [APH(2'')-IVa] is a member of a family of bacterial enzymes responsible for medically relevant resistance to antibiotics. APH(2'')-IVa confers high-level resistance against several clinically used aminoglycoside antibiotics in various pathogenic Enterococcus species by phosphorylating the drug, thereby preventing it from binding to its ribosomal target and producing a bactericidal effect. We describe here three crystal structures of APH(2'')-IVa, one in its apo form and two in complex with a bound antibiotic, tobramycin and kanamycin A. The apo structure was refined to a resolution of 2.05 Å, and the APH(2'')-IVa structures with tobramycin and kanamycin A bound were refined to resolutions of 1.80 and 2.15 Å, respectively. Comparison among the structures provides insight concerning the substrate selectivity of this enzyme. In particular, conformational changes upon substrate binding, involving rotational shifts of two distinct segments of the enzyme, are observed. These substrate-induced shifts may also rationalize the altered substrate preference of APH(2'')-IVa in comparison to those of other members of the APH(2'') subfamily, which are structurally closely related. Finally, analysis of the interactions between the enzyme and aminoglycoside reveals a distinct binding mode as compared to the intended ribosomal target. The differences in the pattern of interactions can be utilized as a structural basis for the development of improved aminoglycosides that are not susceptible to these resistance factors.

Effects of altering aminoglycoside structures on bacterial resistance enzyme activities

Aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes (AMEs) constitute the most prevalent mechanism of resistance to aminoglycosides by bacteria. We show that aminoglycosides can be doubly modified by the sequential actions of AMEs, with the activity of the second AME in most cases unaffected, decreased, or completely abolished. We demonstrate that the bifunctional enzyme AAC(3)-Ib/AAC(6')-Ib' can diacetylate gentamicin. Since single acetylation does not always inactivate the parent drugs completely, two modifications likely provide more-robust inactivation in vivo.

Crystal structure and kinetic mechanism of aminoglycoside phosphotransferase-2''-IVa

Acquired resistance to aminoglycoside antibiotics primarily results from deactivation by three families of aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes. Here, we report the kinetic mechanism and structure of the aminoglycoside phosphotransferase 2''-IVa (APH(2'')-IVa), an enzyme responsible for resistance to aminoglycoside antibiotics in clinical enterococcal and staphylococcal isolates. The enzyme operates via a Bi-Bi sequential mechanism in which the two substrates (ATP or GTP and an aminoglycoside) bind in a random manner. The APH(2'')-IVa enzyme phosphorylates various 4,6-disubstituted aminoglycoside antibiotics with catalytic efficiencies (k(cat)/K(m)) of 1.5 x 10(3) to 1.2 x 10(6) (M(-1) s(-1)). The enzyme uses both ATP and GTP as the phosphate source, an extremely rare occurrence in the phosphotransferase and protein kinase enzymes. Based on an analysis of the APH(2'')-IVa structure, two overlapping binding templates specifically tuned for hydrogen bonding to either ATP or GTP have been identified and described. A detailed understanding of the structure and mechanism of the GTP-utilizing phosphotransferases is crucial for the development of either novel aminoglycosides or, more importantly, GTP-based enzyme inhibitors which would not be expected to interfere with crucial ATP-dependent enzymes.

Structure and function of APH(4)-Ia, a hygromycin B resistance enzyme

The aminoglycoside phosphotransferase (APH) APH(4)-Ia is one of two enzymes responsible for bacterial resistance to the atypical aminoglycoside antibiotic hygromycin B (hygB). The crystal structure of APH(4)-Ia enzyme was solved in complex with hygB at 1.95 Å resolution. The APH(4)-Ia structure adapts a general two-lobe architecture shared by other APH enzymes and eukaryotic kinases, with the active site located at the interdomain cavity. The enzyme forms an extended hydrogen bond network with hygB primarily through polar and acidic side chain groups. Individual alanine substitutions of seven residues involved in hygB binding did not have significant effect on APH(4)-Ia enzymatic activity, indicating that the binding affinity is spread across a distributed network. hygB appeared as the only substrate recognized by APH(4)-Ia among the panel of 14 aminoglycoside compounds. Analysis of the active site architecture and the interaction with the hygB molecule demonstrated several unique features supporting such restricted substrate specificity. Primarily the APH(4)-Ia substrate-binding site contains a cluster of hydrophobic residues that provides a complementary surface to the twisted structure of the substrate. Similar to APH(2″) enzymes, the APH(4)-Ia is able to utilize either ATP or GTP for phosphoryl transfer. The defined structural features of APH(4)-Ia interactions with hygB and the promiscuity in regard to ATP or GTP binding could be exploited for the design of novel aminoglycoside antibiotics or inhibitors of this enzyme.

Aminoglycoside modifying enzymes

Aminoglycosides have been an essential component of the armamentarium in the treatment of life-threatening infections. Unfortunately, their efficacy has been reduced by the surge and dissemination of resistance. In some cases the levels of resistance reached the point that rendered them virtually useless. Among many known mechanisms of resistance to aminoglycosides, enzymatic modification is the most prevalent in the clinical setting. Aminoglycoside modifying enzymes catalyze the modification at different -OH or -NH₂ groups of the 2-deoxystreptamine nucleus or the sugar moieties and can be nucleotidyltransferases, phosphotransferases, or acetyltransferases. The number of aminoglycoside modifying enzymes identified to date as well as the genetic environments where the coding genes are located is impressive and there is virtually no bacteria that is unable to support enzymatic resistance to aminoglycosides. Aside from the development of new aminoglycosides refractory to as many as possible modifying enzymes there are currently two main strategies being pursued to overcome the action of aminoglycoside modifying enzymes. Their successful development would extend the useful life of existing antibiotics that have proven effective in the treatment of infections. These strategies consist of the development of inhibitors of the enzymatic action or of the expression of the modifying enzymes.

Nucleotide selectivity of antibiotic kinases

Antibiotic kinases, which include aminoglycoside and macrolide phosphotransferases (APHs and MPHs), pose a serious threat to currently used antimicrobial therapies. These enzymes show structural and functional homology with Ser/Thr/Tyr kinases, which is suggestive of a common ancestor. Surprisingly, recent in vitro studies using purified antibiotic kinase enzymes have revealed that a number are able to utilize GTP as the antibiotic phospho donor, either preferentially or exclusively compared to ATP, the canonical phosphate donor in most biochemical reactions. To further explore this phenomenon, we examined three enzymes, APH(3')-IIIa, APH(2'')-Ib, and MPH(2')-I, using a competitive assay that mimics in vivo nucleotide triphosphate (NTP) concentrations and usage by each enzyme. Downstream analysis of reaction products by high-performance liquid chromatography enabled the determination of partitioning of phosphate flux from NTP donors to antibiotics. Using this ratio along with support from kinetic analysis and inhibitor studies, we find that under physiologic concentrations of NTPs, APH(3')-IIIa exclusively uses ATP, MPH(2')-I exclusively uses GTP, and APH(2'')-Ib is able to use both species with a preference for GTP. These differences reveal likely different pathways in antibiotic resistance enzyme evolution and can be exploited in selective inhibitor design to counteract resistance.

Mutant APH(2'')-IIa enzymes with increased activity against amikacin and isepamicin

Directed evolution by random PCR mutagenesis of the gene for the aminoglycoside 2''-IIa phosphotransferase generated R92H/D268N and N196D/D268N mutant enzymes, resulting in elevated levels of resistance to amikacin and isepamicin but not to other aminoglycoside antibiotics. Increases in the activities of the mutant phosphotransferases for isepamicin are the result of decreases in K(m) values, while improved catalytic efficiency for amikacin is the result of both a decrease in K(m) values and an increase in turnover of the antibiotic. Enzymes with R92H, D268N, and D268N single amino acid substitutions did not result in elevated MICs for aminoglycosides.

Structure of the antibiotic resistance factor spectinomycin phosphotransferase from Legionella pneumophila

Aminoglycoside phosphotransferases (APHs) constitute a diverse group of enzymes that are often the underlying cause of aminoglycoside resistance in the clinical setting. Several APHs have been extensively characterized, including the elucidation of the three-dimensional structure of two APH(3') isozymes and an APH(2'') enzyme. Although many APHs are plasmid-encoded and are capable of inactivating numerous 2-deoxystreptmaine aminoglycosides with multiple regiospecificity, APH(9)-Ia, isolated from Legionella pneumophila, is an unusual enzyme among the APH family for its chromosomal origin and its specificity for a single non-2-deoxystreptamine aminoglycoside substrate, spectinomycin. We describe here the crystal structures of APH(9)-Ia in its apo form, its binary complex with the nucleotide, AMP, and its ternary complex bound with ADP and spectinomycin. The structures reveal that APH(9)-Ia adopts the bilobal protein kinase-fold, analogous to the APH(3') and APH(2'') enzymes. However, APH(9)-Ia differs significantly from the other two types of APH enzymes in its substrate binding area and that it undergoes a conformation change upon ligand binding. Moreover, kinetic assay experiments indicate that APH(9)-Ia has stringent substrate specificity as it is unable to phosphorylate substrates of choline kinase or methylthioribose kinase despite high structural resemblance. The crystal structures of APH(9)-Ia demonstrate and expand our understanding of the diversity of the APH family, which in turn will facilitate the development of new antibiotics and inhibitors.

Purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of Enterococcus casseliflavus aminoglycoside-2''-phosphotransferase-IVa

The deactivation of aminoglycoside antibiotics by chemical modification is one of the major sources of bacterial resistance to this family of therapeutic compounds, which includes the clinically relevant drugs streptomycin, kanamycin and gentamicin. The aminoglycoside phosphotransferases (APHs) form one such family of enzymes responsible for this resistance. The gene encoding one of these enzymes, aminoglycoside-2''-phosphotransferase-IVa [APH(2'')-IVa] from Enterococcus casseliflavus, has been cloned and the protein (comprising 306 amino-acid residues) has been expressed in Escherichia coli and purified. The enzyme was crystallized in three substrate-free forms. Two of the crystal forms belonged to the orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) with similar unit-cell parameters, although one of the crystal forms had a unit-cell volume that was approximately 13% smaller than the other and a very low solvent content of around 38%. The third crystal form belonged to the monoclinic space group P2(1) and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis was consistent with the presence of two molecules in the asymmetric unit. The orthorhombic crystal forms of apo APH(2'')-IVa both diffracted to 2.2 A resolution and the monoclinic crystal form diffracted to 2.4 A resolution; synchrotron diffraction data were collected from these crystals at SSRL (Stanford, California, USA). Structure determination by molecular replacement using the structure of the related enzyme APH(2'')-IIa is proceeding.

The bifunctional enzymes of antibiotic resistance

The evolutionary union of two genes--each encoding proteins of complementary enzymatic activity--into a single gene so as to allow the coordinated expression of these activities as a fusion polypeptide, is an increasingly recognized biological occurrence. The result of this genetic union is the bifunctional enzyme. This fusion of separate catalytic activities into a single protein, whose gene is regulated by a single promoter, is seen especially where the coordinated expression of the separate activities is highly desirable. Increasingly, a circumstance driving the evolution of the bifunctional enzyme in bacteria is the resistance response of bacteria to antibiotic chemotherapy. We summarize the knowledge on bifunctional antibiotic-resistance enzymes, as possible harbingers of clinically significant resistance mechanisms of the future.

The crystal structures of substrate and nucleotide complexes of Enterococcus faecium aminoglycoside-2''-phosphotransferase-IIa [APH(2'')-IIa] provide insights into substrate selectivity in the APH(2'') subfamily

Aminoglycoside-2''-phosphotransferase-IIa [APH(2'')-IIa] is one of a number of homologous bacterial enzymes responsible for the deactivation of the aminoglycoside family of antibiotics and is thus a major component in bacterial resistance to these compounds. APH(2'')-IIa produces resistance to several clinically important aminoglycosides (including kanamycin and gentamicin) in both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, most notably in Enterococcus species. We have determined the structures of two complexes of APH(2'')-IIa, the binary gentamicin complex and a ternary complex containing adenosine-5'-(beta,gamma-methylene)triphosphate (AMPPCP) and streptomycin. This is the first crystal structure of a member of the APH(2'') family of aminoglycoside phosphotransferases. The structure of the gentamicin-APH(2'')-IIa complex was solved by multiwavelength anomalous diffraction methods from a single selenomethionine-substituted crystal and was refined to a crystallographic R factor of 0.210 (R(free), 0.271) at a resolution of 2.5 A. The structure of the AMPPCP-streptomycin complex was solved by molecular replacement using the gentamicin-APH(2'')-IIa complex as the starting model. The enzyme has a two-domain structure with the substrate binding site located in a cleft in the C-terminal domain. Gentamicin binding is facilitated by a number of conserved acidic residues lining the binding cleft, with the A and B rings of the substrate forming the majority of the interactions. The inhibitor streptomycin, although binding in the same pocket as gentamicin, is orientated such that no potential phosphorylation sites are adjacent to the catalytic aspartate residue. The binding of gentamicin and streptomycin provides structural insights into the substrate selectivity of the APH(2'') subfamily of aminoglycoside phosphotransferases, specifically, the selectivity between the 4,6-disubstituted and the 4,5-disubstituted aminoglycosides.