Crystal Structures of Metallo-β-Lactamase (IMP-1) and Its D120E Mutant in Complexes with Citrate and the Inhibitory Effect of the Benzyl Group in Citrate Monobenzyl Ester.

The emergence and rapid spread of carbapenem-resistant pathogens producing metallo-β-lactamases such as IMP-1 and NDM-1 have been of great concern in the global clinical setting. The X-ray crystal structures of IMP-1 from Serratia marcescens and its single mutant, D120E, in complexes with citrate were determined at resolutions of 2.00 and 1.85 Å, respectively. Two crystal structures indicate that a single mutation at position 120 caused a structural change around Zn1, where the geometry changes from a tetrahedron in the native IMP-1 to a square pyramid in D120E. Based on these two complex structures, the authors synthesized citrate monobenzyl ester 1 to evaluate the structural requirement for the inhibitory activity against IMP-1 and compared the inhibitory activities with nonsubstituted citrate. The introduction of a benzyl group into citrate enhanced the inhibitory activity in comparison to citrate (IC50 > 5 mM).