Hellemann E, Nallathambi A, Durrant JD. Allosteric inhibition of TEM-1 β lactamase: microsecond molecular dynamics simulations provide mechanistic insights.
Protein Sci 2023;
32:e4622. [PMID:
36906819 PMCID:
PMC10044111 DOI:
10.1002/pro.4622]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2022] [Revised: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/13/2023]
Abstract
β-lactam antibiotics target DD-transpeptidases, enzymes that perform the last step of bacterial cell-wall synthesis. To block the antimicrobial activity of these antibiotics, bacteria have evolved lactamases that render them inert. Among these, TEM-1, a class A lactamase, has been extensively studied. In 2004, Horn et al. described a novel allosteric TEM-1 inhibitor, FTA, that binds distant from the TEM-1 orthosteric (penicillin-binding) pocket. TEM-1 has subsequently become a model for the study of allostery. In the present work, we perform molecular dynamics simulations of FTA-bound and FTA-absent TEM-1, totaling ~3 μS, that provide new insight into TEM-1 inhibition. In one of the simulations, bound FTA assumed a conformation different than that observed crystallographically. We provide evidence that the alternate pose is physiologically plausible and describe how it impacts our understanding of TEM-1 allostery. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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