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Benzylpenicillin and cephaloridine reacted with the exocellular dd-carboxypeptidase–transpeptidase from Streptomyces R39 to form equimolar and inactive antibiotic–enzyme complexes. At saturation, the molar ratio of chromogenic cephalosporin 87-312 to enzyme was 1.3:1, but this discrepancy might be due to a lack of accuracy in the measurement of the antibiotic. Spectrophotometric studies showed that binding of cephaloridine and cephalosporin 87-312 to the enzyme caused opening of their β-lactam rings. Benzylpenicillin and cephalosporin 87-312 competed for the same site on the free enzyme, suggesting that binding of benzylpenicillin also resulted in the opening of its β-lactam ring. In Tris–NaCl–MgCl2 buffer at pH7.7 and 37°C, the rate constants for the dissociation of the antibiotic–enzyme complexes were 2.8×10−6, 1.5×10−6and 0.63×10−6s−1(half-lives 70, 130 and 300h) for benzylpenicillin, cephalosporin 87-312 and cephaloridine respectively. During the process, the protein underwent reactivation. The enzyme that was regenerated from its complex with benzylpenicillin was as sensitive to fresh benzylpenicillin as the native enzyme. With [14C]benzylpenicillin, the released radioactive compound was neither benzylpenicillin nor benzylpenicilloic acid. The Streptomyces R39 enzyme thus behaved as a β-lactam-antibiotic-destroying enzyme but did not function as a β-lactamase. Incubation at 37°C in 0.01m-phosphate buffer, pH7.0, and in the same buffer supplemented with sodium dodecyl sulphate caused a more rapid reversion of the [14C]benzylpenicillin–enzyme complex. The rate constants were 1.6×10−5s−1and 0.8×10−4s−1respectively. Under these conditions, however, there was no concomitant reactivation of the enzyme and the released radioactive compound(s) appeared not to be the same as before. The Streptomyces R39 enzyme and the exocellular dd-carboxypeptidase–transpeptidase from Streptomyces R61 appeared to differ from each other with regard to the topography of their penicillin-binding site.

The exocellular dd-carboxypeptidase–transpeptidase from Streptomyces R39 was purified to protein homogeneity and in milligram amounts. The isolated enzyme consisted of one polypeptide chain of molecular weight about 53300. Its amino acid composition and several physicochemical properties were determined and compared with those of the exo-cellular dd-carboxypeptidase–transpeptidase from Streptomyces R61.

The ability of the water-soluble dd-carboxypeptidases of Streptomyces strains albus G, R61, K11 and R39 to perform transpeptidation was studied. The donor was diacetyl-l-lysyl-d-alanyl-d-alanine, and a whole range of amino acids, peptides and structurally related amino compounds were tested for acceptor function. No compound tested was an acceptor for the enzyme from strain albus G whereas the enzymes from strains R61 and K11 could utilize with varying efficiency a wide range of substances including peptides with N-terminal glycine or d-alanine, ω-amino acids, aminohexuronic acids, 6-aminopenicillanic acid and d-cycloserine. Certain peptides, when present in higher concentration, inhibited the transpeptidation observed at lower concentration. The enzyme from strain R39 would not use any dipeptide as an acceptor, but a few compounds that were not glycine or α-amino acids of the d-configuration did function thus. These were d-cycloserine and the lactams of meso- or racemic-diaminoadipic acid.

1. Peptides that inhibit the dd-carboxypeptidases from Streptomyces strains albus G and R61 were synthesized. They are close analogues of the substrates of these enzymes. The enzymes from albus G and R61 strains are in general inhibited by the same peptides, but the enzyme from strain R39 differs considerably. 2. The two C-terminal residues of the peptide substrates and inhibitors appear to be mainly responsible for the initial binding of the substrate to the enzymes from albus G and R61 strains. The side chain in the third residue from the C-terminus seems critical in inducing catalytic activity. 3. Experimental evidence is presented suggesting that the amide bond linking the two C-terminal residues has a cis configuration when bound to the enzymes from strains albus G and R61. 4. The peptide inhibitors are not antibiotics against the same micro-organisms.

Additional evidence is given that in Streptomycesstrains R39, R61, and K11 the same enzyme performs dd-carboxypeptidase and transpeptidase activities and that this enzyme is the killing site of ß-lactam antibiotics. With strain R61, it was found that the exocellular enzyme has a sensitivity towards some antibiotics different from that of the membrane-bound enzyme. Under the growth conditions used in the present investigations, ß-lactamase activity was not involved in susceptibility to ß-lactam antibiotics.

The circular dichroism of the dd-carboxypeptidase–transpeptidase from Streptomyces R61 shows in the near u.v. a set of weak extrema at 289nm (positive) and at 282, 275 and 268nm (all negative). In the far u.v. it shows negative extrema at 217–218 and 208nm, crossover at 202nm and a positive maximum at about 194nm. The u.v. absorption of the enzyme shows it to contain tyrosine and tryptophan in approx. 3.4:1 ratio. The enzyme is fluorescent with a maximum emission at 318–320nm. The near-u.v. circular dichroism of the protein is extensively affected by binding of penicillin G, but the far u.v. is unaffected. Binding of the antibiotic also causes quenching of the fluorescence of the enzyme. The latter effect has been used to study the binding of penicillin G to the enzyme and the influence exerted upon it by salts, denaturants and peptide substrates and inhibitors. High-affinity binding of penicillin appears to be comparatively slow and reversible, and can occur under conditions in which the protein is enzymically inactive. The thermal denaturation of the enzyme in guanidinium chloride at pH7 is affected by binding of the antibiotic. The presence of even large concentrations of β-mercaptoethanol neither impaired the activity of the enzyme nor prevented its inhibition by penicillin G or cephalosporin C. A new hypothesis for the molecular mechanism of the interaction of the enzyme with penicillin is proposed.

The kinetic parameters of ten different enzymic mechanisms in which bimolecular transfer reactions occur concomitantly with the hydrolysis of the donor molecule have been studied. The usefulness of these parameters for making a choice of mechanism is discussed. The analysis has been extended to the use of alternative substrates in bimolecular transfer reactions that proceed without the hydrolysis of the donor molecule.

When Ac2-l-Lys-d-Ala-d-Ala and either meso-diaminopimelic acid or Gly-l-Ala are exposed to the exocellular dd-carboxypeptidase–transpeptidase of Streptomyces R61, transpeptidation reactions yielding Ac2-l-Lys-d-Ala-(d)-meso- diaminopimelic acid and Ac2-l-Lys-d-Ala-Gly-l-Ala occur concomitantly with the hydrolysis of the tripeptide into Ac2-l-Lys-d-Ala. The proportion of the enzyme activity which can be channelled in the transpeptidation and the hydrolysis pathways depends upon the pH and the polarity of the environment. Transpeptidation is favoured both by increasing the pH and by decreasing the water content of the reaction mixtures. Kinetics suggest that the reactions proceed through an ordered mechanism in which the acceptor molecule (meso-diaminopimelic acid or Gly-l-Ala) binds first to the enzyme. Both acceptors behave as non-competitive inhibitors of the hydrolysis pathway. Transpeptidation is inhibited by high concentrations of Gly-l-Ala but not by high concentrations of meso-diaminopimelic acid. The occurrence on the enzyme of an additional inhibitory binding site for Gly-l-Ala is suggested.

A procedure allowing the purification of milligram amounts of the exocellular dd-carboxypeptidase–transpeptidase from Streptomyces R61 to protein homogeneity (95% purity) is described. The isolated protein has a molecular weight of about 38000 and consists of one polypeptide chain. Its amino acid composition is presented.