P174E Substitution in GES-1 and GES-5 β-Lactamases Improves Catalytic Efficiency toward Carbapenems

GES-type β-lactamases are a group of enzymes that have evolved their hydrolytic activity against carbapenems. In this study, the role of residue 174 inside the Ω-loop of GES-1 and GES-5 was investigated. GES-1^P174E and GES-5^P174E mutants, selected by site saturation mutagenesis, were purified and kinetically characterized. In comparison with GES-1 and GES-5 wild-type enzymes, GES-1^P174E and GES-5^P174E mutants exhibited lower k_cat and k_cat/K values for cephalosporins and penicillins. Concerning carbapenems, GES-1^P174E shared higher k_cat values but lower K values than those calculated for GES-1. The GES-1^P174E and GES-5^P174E mutants showed high hydrolytic efficiency for imipenem, with k_cat/K values 100- and 660-fold higher, respectively, than those of GES-1. Clavulanic acid and tazobactam are good inhibitors for both GES-1^P174E and GES-5^P174E Molecular dynamic (MD) simulations carried out for GES-1, GES-5, GES-1^P174E, and GES-5^P174E complexed with imipenem and meropenem have shown that mutation at position 174 induces a drastic increase of enzyme flexibility, in particular in the Ω-loop. The circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy spectra of the four enzymes indicate that the P174E substitution in GES-1 and GES-5 does not affect the secondary structural content of the enzymes.