Molecular Bases of the Membrane Association Mechanism Potentiating Antibiotic Resistance by New Delhi Metallo-β-lactamase 1

• Published in: ACS infectious diseases 2020-10, Vol.6 (10), p.2719-2731
• Main Authors: Prunotto, Alessio, Bahr, Guillermo, González, Lisandro J, Vila, Alejandro J, Dal Peraro, Matteo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bacteria; beta-Lactamases - genetics; Carbapenems; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Humans
• ISSN: 2373-8227; 2373-8227
• DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.0c00341

Resistance to last-resort carbapenem antibiotics is an increasing threat to human health, as it critically limits therapeutic options. Metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) are the largest family of carbapenemases, enzymes that inactivate these drugs. Among MBLs, New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase 1 (NDM-1) has experienced the fastest and largest worldwide dissemination. This success has been attributed to the fact that NDM-1 is a lipidated protein anchored to the outer membrane of bacteria, while all other MBLs are soluble periplasmic enzymes. By means of a combined experimental and computational approach, we show that NDM-1 interacts with the surface of bacterial membranes in a stable, defined conformation, in which the active site is not occluded by the bilayer. Although the lipidation is required for a long-lasting interaction, the globular domain of NDM-1 is tuned to interact specifically with the outer bacterial membrane. In contrast, this affinity is not observed for VIM-2, a natively soluble MBL. Finally, we identify key residues involved in the membrane interaction with NDM-1, which constitute potential targets for developing therapeutic strategies able to combat resistance granted by this enzyme.