Structural and Functional Aspects of Extended-Spectrum AmpC Cephalosporinases

Curr Drug Targets. 2016;17(9):1051-60. doi: 10.2174/1573399811666150615144707.

Abstract

β-lactam antibiotics have revolutionized modern medicine, but resistance to these drugs is a major public health crisis. Traditionally, class C β-lactamases were referred to as cephalosporinases due to their substrate preference for this particular class of β-lactams. However, the emergence of AmpC enzymes with extended-spectrum activity (extended-spectrum cephalosporinases or ESACs) is particularly worrisome, especially given that most clinical β-lactamase inhibitors are ineffective against these enzymes. This review summarizes structures of several extended spectrum class C β-lactamases and analyzes the structure-function relationship observed among them.

Publication types

  • Review
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Bacterial Proteins / chemistry
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism
  • Binding Sites
  • Cephalosporinase / chemistry*
  • Cephalosporinase / metabolism*
  • Drug Design
  • Humans
  • Ligands
  • Models, Molecular
  • Protein Conformation
  • beta-Lactam Resistance
  • beta-Lactamase Inhibitors / chemistry*
  • beta-Lactamase Inhibitors / pharmacology
  • beta-Lactamases / chemistry
  • beta-Lactamases / metabolism

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Ligands
  • beta-Lactamase Inhibitors
  • Cephalosporinase
  • AmpC beta-lactamases
  • beta-Lactamases