TITLE:
Insights on the structural characteristics of NDM-1: The journey so far
AUTHORS:
Avneet Saini, Rohit Bansal
KEYWORDS:
NDM-1; Metallo-β-Lactamase; Superbug; β-Lactam; Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamases
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Biological Chemistry,
Vol.2 No.4,
November
21,
2012
ABSTRACT: New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase (NDM-1) has created a medical storm ever since it was first reported; as it is active on virtually all clinically used β-lactam antibiotics. NDM-1 rampancy worldwide is now considered a nightmare scenario, particularly due to its rapid dissemination. An underlying theme in the majority of recent studies is structural characterization as knowledge of the three-dimensional structure of NDM-1 shall help find connections between its structure and function. Moreover, structural details are even critical in order to reveal the resistance mecha- nism to β-lactam antibiotics. In this perspective, we review structural characteristics of NDM-1 that have been delineated since its first report. We anticipate that these structure-function connections made by its characterization shall further serve as future guidelines for elucidating pathways towards de novo design of functional inhibitors.