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Mycobacteria are important causes of infectious diseases. Although Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium leprae, two slow-growing species, are responsible for the most serious diseases, some fast-growing species, such as Mycobacterium avium, Mycobacterium kansasii, Mycobacterium chelonae, and Mycobacterium fortuitum, may cause opportunistic infections among AIDS patients (24). In addition, M. fortuitum has been reported to be responsible for a wide spectrum of clinical diseases, such as skin or soft tissue infections following surgery, pulmonary infections, accidental penetrating trauma, and wounds that come in contact with soil or water contaminated with these mycobacteria, though nosocomial infections are by far the most common (41, 44). The cell wall of mycobacteria contains mycolic acid, arabinogalactan, and peptidoglycan, forming a covalent complex. The influx of small hydrophilic agents through the resulting low-permeability envelope is extremely slow and is thought to be one of the major factors involved in the resistance of mycobacteria to β-lactam antibiotics (21, 41). β-Lactamase production, catalyzing β-lactam antibiotic hydrolysis, appears to be the second mechanism by which mycobacteria express β-lactam resistance (9, 21, 35). Chromosomally encoded β-lactamases have been detected in most, but not all, mycobacterial species, including M. fortuitum and M. tuberculosis (43). The class A β-lactamase of M. fortuitum (MFO) is a chromosomally encoded broad-spectrum β-lactamase hydrolyzing both cephalosporins and penicillins. Its substrate profile includes ureidopenicillins (piperacillin, azlocillin, and mezlocillin), carbenicillin, cephalothin, cefotaxime, and cefuroxime, but not ceftazidime. Cefoxitin, dicloxacillin, imipenem, and aztreonam are poorly recognized by the enzyme, and the protein is inhibited by the penem inhibitor BRL42715 and, to a lesser extent, clavulanic acid. The specificity profile is similar overall to those of CTX-M-type enzymes; some TEM-derived extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs); the chromosomally encoded ESBLs from Citrobacter sedlakii and Yersinia enterocolitica; and β-lactamases identified in the genera Nocardia, Kluyvera, and Burkholderia (1, 12, 31, 33, 35, 37). At the amino-acid level, the mature protein shares 70% identity with the β-lactamase of Mycobacterium smegmatis and between 40 and 45% with the aforementioned proteins. MFO also shares 41% amino acid identity with the ESBL Toho-1. Many recent studies have been concerned with the structure solution of TEM, SHV, or CTX-M-type ESBLs, but few structural data are available on chromosomally encoded broad-spectrum class A β-lactamases. MFO is the first solved structure of a mycobacterial β-lactamase. Its structure-activity relationship was analyzed on the basis of a comparison between its structure and recently solved ESBL structures (5, 27, 29, 38).

Insertion of heterologous peptide sequences into a protein carrier may impose structural constraints that could help the peptide to adopt a proper fold. This concept could be the starting point for the development of a new generation of safe subunit vaccines based on the expression of poorly immunogenic epitopes. In the present study, we characterized the tolerance of the TEM-1 class A beta-lactamase to the insertion of two different peptides, the V3 loop of the gp120 protein of HIV, and the thermostable STa enterotoxin produced by enterotoxic Escherichia coli. Insertion of the V3 loop of the HIV gp120 protein into the TEM-1 scaffold yielded insoluble and poorly produced proteins. By contrast, four hybrid beta-lactamases carrying the STa peptide were efficiently produced and purified. Immunization of BALB/c mice with these hybrid proteins produced high levels of TEM-1-specific antibodies, together with significant levels of neutralizing antibodies against STa.

International audience; Mycobacterium fallax (M. fallax) is naturally sensitive to many beta-lactam antibiotics (MIC < 2 microg/ml) and devoid of beta-lactamase activity. In this paper, we show that the production of the beta-lactamase of Mycobacterium fortuitum by M. fallax significantly increased the MIC values for good substrates of the enzyme, whereas the potency of poor substrates or transient inactivators was not modified. The rates of diffusion of beta-lactams through the mycolic acid layer were low, but for all studied compounds the half-equilibration times were such that they would only marginally affect the MIC values in the absence of beta-lactamase production. These results emphasize the importance of enzymatic degradation as a major factor in the resistance of mycobacteria to penicillins.

The beta-lactamase of Mycobacterium smegmatis mc(2)155 has been purified to protein homogeneity. Its N-terminal sequence and catalytic properties are similar to those of the beta-lactamase produced by Mycobacterium fortuitum D316 and establish this new enzyme as a member of molecular class A.

Sixteen different compounds usually considered beta-lactamase stable or representing potential beta-lactam inhibitors and inactivators were tested against the beta-lactamase produced by Mycobacterium fortuitum. The compounds exhibiting the most interesting properties were BRL42715, which was by far the best inactivator, and CGP31608 and ceftazidime, which were not recognized by the enzyme. These compounds thus exhibited adequate properties for fighting mycobacterial infections. Although cloxacillin, dicloxacillin, cefoxitin, and CP65207-2 exhibited poor inhibitory efficiency against the enzyme, they were also rather poor substrates and might be considered potential antimycobacterial agents. By contrast, CGP31523A and ceftamet were good substrates.