Crystal Structure of Phosphoserine BlaC from Mycobacterium tuberculosis Inactivated by Bis(Benzoyl) Phosphate

Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the pathogen responsible for tuberculosis (TB), is the leading cause of death from infectious disease worldwide. The class A serine β-lactamase BlaC confers Mycobacterium tuberculosis resistance to conventional β-lactam antibiotics. As the primary mechanism of bacterial resistance to β-lactam antibiotics, the expression of a β-lactamase by Mycobacterium tuberculosis results in hydrolysis of the β-lactam ring and deactivation of these antibiotics. In this study, we conducted protein X-ray crystallographic analysis of the inactivation of BlaC, upon exposure to the inhibitor bis(benzoyl) phosphate. Crystal structure data confirms that serine β-lactamase is phosphorylated at the catalytic serine residue (Ser-70) by this phosphate-based inactivator. This new crystallographic evidence suggests a mechanism for phosphorylation of BlaC inhibition by bis(benzoyl) phosphate over acylation. Additionally, we confirmed that bis(benzoyl) phosphate inactivated BlaC in a time-dependent manner.