Ap. Kuzin et al., Enzymes of vancomycin resistance: the structure of D-alanine-D-lactate ligase of naturally resistant Leuconostoc mesenteroides, STRUCT F D, 8(5), 2000, pp. 463-470
Background: The bacterial cell wall and the enzymes that synthesize it are
targets of glycopeptide antibiotics (vancomycins and teicoplanins) and beta
-lactams (penicillins and cephalosporins). Biosynthesis of cell wall peptid
oglycan requires a crosslinking of peptidyl moieties on adjacent glycan str
ands. The D-alanine-D-alanine transpeptidase, which catalyzes this crosslin
king, is the target of beta-lactam antibiotics. Glycopeptides, in contrast,
do not inhibit an enzyme, but bind directly to D-alanine-D-alanine and pre
vent subsequent crosslinking by the transpeptidase. Clinical resistance to
vancomycin in enterococcal pathogens has been traced to altered ligases pro
ducing D-alanine-D-lactate rather than D-alanine-D-alanine.
Results: The structure of a D-alanine-D-lactate ligase has been determined
by multiple anomalous dispersion (MAD) phasing to 2.4 Angstrom resolution.
Go-crystallization of the Leuconostoc mesenteroides LmDdl2 ligase with ATP
and a di-D-methylphosphinate produced ADP and a phosphinophosphate analog o
f the reaction intermediate of cell wall peptidoglycan biosynthesis. Compar
ison of this D-alanine-D-lactate ligase with the known structure of DdlB D-
alanine-D-alanine ligase, a wild-type enzyme that does not provide vancomyc
in resistance, reveals alterations in the size and hydrophobicity of the si
te for D-lactate binding (subsite 2). A decrease was noted in the ability o
f the ligase to hydrogen bond a substrate molecule entering subsite 2.
Conclusions: Structural differences at subsite 2 of the D-alanine-D-lactate
ligase help explain a substrate specificity shift (D-alanine to D-lactate)
leading to remodeled cell wall peptidoglycan and vancomycin resistance in
Gram-positive pathogens.