title: Modification of penicillin-binding protein 5 associated with high-level ampicillin resistance in Enterococcus faecium.
abstract: High-level ampicillin resistance in Enterococcus faecium has been shown to be associated with the synthesis of a modified penicillin-binding protein 5 (PBP 5) which had apparently lost its penicillin-binding capability (R. Fontana, M. Aldegheri, M. Ligozzi, H. Lopez, A. Sucari, and G. Satta. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 38:1980-1983, 1994). The pbp5 gene of the highly resistant strain E. faecium 9439 was cloned and sequenced. The deduced amino acid sequence showed 77 and 54% homologies with the PBPs 5 of Enterococcus hirae and Enterococcus faecalis, respectively. A gene fragment coding for the C-terminal part of PBP 5 containing the penicillin-binding domain was also cloned from several E. faecium strains with different levels of ampicillin resistance. Sequence comparison revealed a few point mutations, some of which resulted in amino acid substitutions between SDN and KTG motifs in PBPs 5 of highly resistant strains. One of these converted a polar residue (the T residue at position 562 or 574) of PBP 5 produced by susceptible and moderately resistant strains into a nonpolar one (A or I). This alteration could be responsible for the altered phenotype of PBP 5 in highly resistant strains.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Microbiologia, Università degli Studi di Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ligozzi
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pittaluga
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fontana
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000667:Ampicillin / Q000378:metabolism*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001483:Base Sequence; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial / Q000235:genetics; D016984:Enterococcus faecium / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D006602:Hexosyltransferases; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D002267:Muramoylpentapeptide Carboxypeptidase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D046915:Penicillin-Binding Proteins; D010406:Penicillins / Q000378:metabolism*; D010458:Peptidyl Transferases; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D046915:Penicillin-Binding Proteins; D010406:Penicillins; D000667:Ampicillin; D010458:Peptidyl Transferases; D006602:Hexosyltransferases; D002267:Muramoylpentapeptide Carboxypeptidase