title: Cloning and molecular characterization of three arylamine N-acetyltransferase genes from Bacillus anthracis: identification of unusual enzymatic properties and their contribution to sulfamethoxazole resistance.
abstract: The arylamine N-acetyltransferases (NATs) are xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes that catalyze the N-acetylation of arylamines and their N-hydroxylated metabolites. These enzymes play a key role in detoxication of numerous drugs and xenobiotics. We report here the cloning, functional expression, and characterization of three new NAT genes (termed banatA, banatB, and banatC) from the pathogen Bacillus anthracis. The sequences of the corresponding proteins are approximately 30% identical with those of characterized eukaryotic and prokaryotic NAT enzymes, and the proteins were recognized by an anti-NAT antibody. The three genes were endogenously expressed in B. anthracis, and NAT activity was found in cell extracts. The three NAT homologues exhibited distinct structural and enzymatic properties, some of which have not previously been observed with other NAT enzymes. Recombinant BanatC displayed strong NAT activity toward several prototypic NAT substrates, including the sulfonamide antibiotic sulfamethoxazole (SMX). As opposed to BanatC, BanatB also had acetyl-CoA (AcCoA) and p-nitrophenyl acetate (PNPA) hydrolysis activity in the absence of arylamine substrates, indicating that it may act as an AcCoA hydrolase. BanatA was devoid of NAT or AcCoA/PNPA hydrolysis activities, suggesting that it may be a new bacterial NAT-like protein with unknown function. Expression of BanatC in Escherichia coli afforded higher-than-normal resistance to SMX in the recombinant bacteria, whereas an inactive mutant of the enzyme did not. These data indicate that BanatC could contribute to the resistance of B. anthracis to SMX.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Cytophysiologie et Toxicologie Cellulaire, EA 1553, Université Paris 7-Denis Diderot, 75005 Paris, France.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pluvinage
authors.forename: Julien
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dairou
authors.forename: Odile M
authors.initials: OM
authors.lastname: Possot
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.forename: Agnès
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fouet
authors.forename: Jean-Marie
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Dupret
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rodrigues-Lima
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001191:Arylamine N-Acetyltransferase / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D001408:Bacillus anthracis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D017931:DNA Primers; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004351:Drug Resistance; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial / Q000187:drug effects; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013420:Sulfamethoxazole / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D001191:Arylamine N-Acetyltransferase; D013420:Sulfamethoxazole