Resistance to the "last resort" antibiotic colistin: a single-zinc mechanism for phosphointermediate formation in MCR enzymes

Chem Commun (Camb). 2020 Jun 23;56(50):6874-6877. doi: 10.1039/d0cc02520h.

Abstract

MCR (mobile colistin resistance) enzymes catalyse phosphoethanolamine (PEA) addition to bacterial lipid A, threatening the "last-resort" antibiotic colistin. Molecular dynamics and density functional theory simulations indicate that monozinc MCR supports PEA transfer to the Thr285 acceptor, positioning MCR as a mono- rather than multinuclear member of the alkaline phosphatase superfamily.

MeSH terms

  • Alkaline Phosphatase / chemistry*
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / chemistry*
  • Bacterial Proteins / chemistry*
  • Colistin / chemistry*
  • Drug Resistance, Bacterial*
  • Ethanolamines / chemistry
  • Lipid A / chemistry
  • Molecular Dynamics Simulation
  • Zinc / chemistry*

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Ethanolamines
  • Lipid A
  • phosphorylethanolamine
  • Alkaline Phosphatase
  • Zinc
  • Colistin