Binding of Benzylpenicillin to Metallo-β-lactamase: A QM/MM Study

Abstract

Metallo-β-lactamases are bacterial enzymes that may function with either one or two zinc ions bound in the active site. In this work, the binding of benzylpenicillin to mono-zinc metallo-β-lactamase from Bacillus cereus has been investigated in a docking procedure applying a combined quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical method as the final step. It is demonstrated that the substrate can bind with the carbonyl oxygen of the lactam ring coordinating to the zinc ion, and with the zinc-bound hydroxide ion in position for a nucleophilic attack on the carbonyl carbon of the lactam ring. In some structures, both the histidine and the cysteine at the other (unoccupied) metal-binding site are in a proper position to function as proton shuttles in proton transfer from the previously zinc-bound hydroxide, to the nitrogen in the lactam ring. In addition, the hydrophobic region formed by Phe34, Val39, Trp59, and Ala89 interacts with the phenyl group of benzylpenicillin, whereas the carboxylate group may be stabiliz...