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Biomedical subjects

J M Ghuysen

Publications and source records attributed to J M Ghuysen.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1979

Effects of nucleophiles on the breakdown of the benzylpenicilloyl-enzyme complex EI formed between benzylpenicillin and the exocellular DD-carboxypeptidase--transpeptiase of Streptomyces strain R61.

Serine is one of the enzyme residues with which benzylpenicillin collides as a result of its binding to the Streptomyces strain-R61 DD-carboxypeptidase-transpeptidase enzyme. Nucleophilic attack occurs on C(7) of the bound antibiotic molecule with formation of a benzylpenicilloyl-serine ester linkage, i.e. formation of the benzylpenicilloyl-enzyme EI complex. To reject the bound penicilloyl moiety and consequently to recover its initial activities, the strain-R61 enzyme has developed two possible mechanisms. Pathway A is a direct attack of the serine ester linkage by an exogenous nucleophile, resulting in the transfer of the benzylpenicilloyl moiety to this nucleophile. In pathway B, the benzylpenicilloyl moiety is first fragmented by C(5)-C(6) cleavage and the enzyme-bound phenylacetylglycyl residue thus produced is in turn transferred to the nucleophile. Pathway B occurs with water, glycylglycine and other amino compounds. Both pathways A and B occur with glycerol, other ROH nucleophiles and neutral hydroxylamine. The nucleophilic attacks are enzyme-catalysed.

Alcohols↗
PubMed1978

The exocellular DD-carboxypeptidase-endopeptidase from Streptomyces albus G. Purification and chemical properties.

The exocellular DD-carboxypeptidase-endopeptidase of Streptomyces albus G was purified to protein homogeneity and compared with the exocellular DD-carboxypeptidases-transpeptidases of Streptomyces R61 and Actinomadura R39. The S. albus G enzyme, as it is isolated, occurs in two forms. Enzyme I (30% of the total amount) and enzyme II (70% of the total amount) are identical in all respects, except that, by polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulphate, enzyme I has an apparent mol. wt. (9000) that is half of that found by molecular-sieve filtration under non-denaturing conditions. Irrespective of the technique used, enzyme II has an apparent mol. wt. of about 18500.

Alanine↗
PubMed1978

The exocellular DD-carboxypeptidase-endopeptidase of Streptomyces albus G. Interaction with beta-lactam antibiotics.

Kinetically, the three-step model proposed for the interaction between beta-lactam antibiotics and the exocellular DD-carboxypeptidases-transpeptidases of Streptomyces R61 and Actinomadura R39 [Frère, Ghuysen & Iwatsubo (1975) Eur. J. Biochem. 57, 343--357; Fuad, Frère, Ghuysen, Duez & Iwatsubo (1976) Biochem. J. 155, 623--629] applies to the interaction between the much less penicillin-sensitive exocellular DD-carboxypeptidase-endopeptidase of Streptomyces albus G and at least phenoxymethylpenicillin, cephalothin and cephalosporin C. The penicillin resistance of the albus G enzyme is mainly due to the low efficiency with which the first reversible complex formed with the antibiotic (complex EI) undergoes transformation into a second more stable complex EI*. Analysis of the ternary interaction between enzyme, NalphaNepsilon-diacetyl-L-lysyl-D-alanyl-D-alanine (Ac2-L-Lys-D-Ala-D-Ala) and cephalosporin C indicates a non-competitive mechanism.

Alanine↗
PubMed1978

Solubilization and isolation of the membrane-bound DD-carboxypeptidase of Streptococcus faecalis ATCC9790. Properties of the purified enzyme.

Streptococcus faecalis ATCC 9790 possesses six membrane-bound, penicillin-binding proteins. That numbered 6 (Mr 43000) is the most abundant one and is the DD-carboxypeptidase studied previously. The enzyme has been solubilized and purified to the stage where one single protein band can be detected by gel electrophoresis. The purification procedure does not alter the properties that the enzyme exhibits when it is membrane-bound. The DD-carboxypeptidase itself may be a killing target for penicillin in S. faecalis.

Carboxypeptidases↗
PubMed1978

Stability of D-5,5-dimethyl-delta2-thiazoline-4-carboxylic acid in relation to its possible occurrence as a degradation product of penicillin by the exocellular DD-carboxypeptidase-transpeptidase from Streptomyces R61 and the membrane-bound dd-carboxypeptidase from Bacillus stearothermophilus.

The stability of D-5,5-dimethyl-delta2-thiazoline-4-carboxylic acid has been studied under various conditions. In 10 mM cacodylate, pH 6.5, and at 55 degrees C, D-5,5-dimethyl-delta2-thiazoline-4-carboxylic acid (at concentrations lower than 1 mM) is hydrolyzed into N-formyl-D-penicillamine with a half-life of 3 to 4 min. On this basis, it is very unlikely that D-5,5-dimethyl-delta2-thiazoline-4-carboxylic acid could be one of the end products resulting from the cleavage of benzylpenicillin by the DD-carboxypeptidase of Bacillus stearothermophilus (as reported by Hammarström and Strominger (1976) J. Biol. Chem. 251, 7947--7949). In 3 mM phosphate, pH 7.5, and at 37 degrees C, D-5,5-dimethyl-delta2-thiazoline-4-carboxylic acid (at concentrations lower than 1 mM) has a half-life of 45 min. On the basis of kinetic experiments carried out under these conditions with phenoxymethylpenicillin and the DD-carboxypeptidase-transpeptidase of Streptomyces R61, it is concluded that the primary product which arises from the thiazolidine moiety of the antibiotic molecule and gives rise to N-formyl-D-penicillamine, has a half-life of 10 min, a value which is not compatible with the hypothesis that D-5,5-dimethyl-delta2-thiazoline-4-carboxylic acid would be an intermediate involved in the fragmentation pathway.

Acyltransferases↗
PubMed1978

Interaction between penicillin and the DD-carboxypeptidase of the unstable L-form of Proteus mirabilis strain 19.

Binding of penicillin to the DD-carboxypeptidase of the unstable spheroplast L-form of Proteus mirabilis results in the rapid formation of a modified enzyme-inhibitor complex which in turn undergoes rapid decay into reactivated enzyme and an antibiotically inactive penicillin degradation product. Major antibiotic metabolites recovered from such interactions were benzylpenicilloic acid and phenoxymethylpenicilloic acid from benzylpenicillin and phenoxymethylpenicillin, respectively, suggesting a second enzymic function of the DD-carboxypeptidase as a penicillinase of low efficiency. Statistical analyses made with the help of a linear regression program show that the enzyme interacts with the substrate UDP-N-acetylmuramoyl-L-alanyl-D-gamma-glutamyl-(L)-meso-2,6-diaminopimelyl-(L)-D-alanyl-D-alanine and either benzympenicillin or carbenicillin in a non-competitive manner.

Carboxypeptidases↗
PubMed1977

The peptidoglycan crosslinking enzyme system in Streptomyces strains R61, K15 and rimosus.

The DD-carboxypeptidase-transpeptidase enzyme system in Streptomyces strain K15 consists of: (1) a membrane-bound transpeptidase capable of performing low DD-carboxypeptidase activity; and (2) a set of DD-carboxypeptidases: (a) membrane-bound, (b) lysozyme-releasable and (c) exocellular, having low transpeptidase activities in aqueous media and at low acceptor concentrations. The DD-carboxypeptidases are related to each other and may belong to the same pathway leading to enzyme excretion. A similar enzyme system occurs in Streptomyces strain R61 except that the membrane-bound DD-carboxypeptidase activity is low when compared with the membrane-bound transpeptidase activity. In Streptomyces rimosus the enzyme system consists almost exclusively of the membrane-bound transpeptidase and the levels of membrane-bound, lysozyme-releasable and exocellular DD-carboxypeptidases are very low.

Carboxypeptidases↗
PubMed1977

The peptidoglycan crosslinking enzyme system in Streptomyces strains R61, K15 and rimosus. Kinetic coefficients involved in the interactions of the membrane-bound transpeptidase with peptide substrates and beta-lactam antibiotics.

The transpeptidation reaction performed by the membranes of Streptomyces strain R61 fits the general rate equation for an enzyme-catalysed bimolecular reaction. The same membranes (E) interact with beta-lactams (I) to form inactive penicillin-enzyme-membrane complexes (EI) of rather high stability, which subsequently break down (E + I leads to EI leads to E + degradation products). The enzyme is regenerated and the antibiotic is released in the form of an inactive metabolite. With benzylpenicillin, the degradation product is benzylpenicilloic acid. The reaction is heat-labile. The first step of the reaction (E + I leads to EI) is characterized by a second-order rate constant (kformation in M-1 s-1) and the second step (EI leads to E + degradation products) by a first-order rate constant (kbreakdown in s-1). The effects in vitro of various beta-lactams on the membrane-bound transpeptidase, as expressed by the relevant kformation and kbreakdown values, parallel the effects in vivo of the same antibiotics as expressed by their ability to prevent the germination and growth of conidiospores. The kinetic parameters of the transpeptidase that was solubilized with N-cetyl-N,N,N-trimethylammonium bromide with respect to its interaction with both peptide substrates and beta-lactam antibiotics are quantitatively different from those of the membrane-bound enzyme. Moreover, the solubilized enzyme fragments benzylpenicillin with formation of phenylacetylglycine, a reaction which is similar to that catalysed by the exocellular R61 enzyme. The membranes of Streptomyces strains rimosus and K15 possess an active 'classic' penicillinase. They were not studied but the kinetic coefficients of the corresponding solubilized transpeptidases were determined and compared with those of the solubilized enzyme from strain R61.

Carboxypeptidases↗
PubMed1977

The exchange reaction of peptides R-D-alanyl-D-alanine with D-[14C]alanine to R-D-alanyl-D-[14C]alanine and D-alanine, catalysed by the membranes of Streptococcus faecalis ATCC 9790.

Under alkaline conditions, the membrane-bound DD-carboxypeptidase of Streptococcus faecalis ATCC 9790 catalyses exchange reactions in which the X-L-R3-D-Ala moiety of peptides of the type X-L-R3-D-Ala-D-Ala is transferred to simple amino compounds such as D-alanine, glycine and glycyl-glycine. The enzyme system is unable, however, to catalyse complex reactions that would simulate the natural transpeptidation reaction.

Alanine↗
PubMed1977

Interactions between beta-lactam antibiotics and isolated membranes of Streptococcus faecalis ATCC 9790.

The DD-carboxypeptidase-exchange membrane-bound enzyme in Streptococcus faecalis ATCC 9790 reacts with beta-lactam antibiotics to form complexes with rather long half-lives. Depending upon the antibiotic, the second-order rate constants for complex formation range from 0.75-560 M-1 S-1 (at 37 degrees C and in water) and the first-order rate constants for complex breakdown range from 1.3 to 26 x 10(-5) s-1 (at 37 degrees C and in 5 mM phosphate buffer pH 7.5). There are about 30 pmol of DD-carboxypeptidase-exchange enzyme per mg of membrane protein. The degradation products arising from benzylpenicillin are phenylacetylglycine and probably N-formyl-D-penicillamine. Isolated membranes also contain other penicillin binding sites (about 70 pmol/mg membrane protein). That part of benzylpenicillin which reacts with at least some of these latter sites is slowly degraded into penicilloic acid. Normal functioning of the DD-carboxypeptidase-exchange membrane-bound enzyme is important, if not essential, for cell growth. With the beta-lactam antibiotics tested inhibition of cell growth is mainly related to the rates of formation of the inactive enzyme-antibiotic complexes. The relationship, however, is not a direct one probably due to the competitive effect exerted by the other penicillin binding sites.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed1976

Mode of interaction between beta-lactam antibiotics and the exocellular DD-carboxypeptidase--transpeptidase from Streptomyces R39.

The exocellular DD-carboxypeptidase-transpeptidase of Streptomyces R39 is inhibited by beta-lactam antibiotics according to the same general scheme of reaction as the exocellular DD-carboxypeptidase-transpeptidase of Streptomyces R61. However, the values for the kinetic constants involved in the reaction are very different for the two enzymes and provide an explanation for the observation that the R39 enzyme is more sensitive to beta-lactam antibiotics than the R61 enzyme. Further, particular beta-lactams influence the kinetic constants to different extents depending on the source of the enzyme, so that a physical basis for the spectrum of antibiotic activity against particular enzyme systems is provided.

Carboxypeptidases↗