Antibiotic resistance has emerged as one of the leading public health crises of the 21st century, and with the rise of multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria, physicians are facing critical clinical challenges. Infections due to resistant pathogens lead to high morbidity and mortality rates, and result in increased treatment costs. This situation has been recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO), who stated in 2011 that “no action taken today results in no cure tomorrow”, and from 2016 all countries were called on to promote a better use of available antibiotics and to build and execute efficient tools to prevent bacterial infections, under the “One Health” concept. Through structural and biochemical evidences associated with the evolution of clinically important and environmental ß-lactamases, novel efficient inhibitors can be developed to inhibit their action. Alternatively: The discovery of new potent ß-lactamase inhibitors, developed in combination with ß-lactam antibiotics, still represents a valuable strategy to overcome resistance, highlighting the importance of understanding the structural and biochemical features of ß-lactamases.
This Research Topic aims to discuss the latest advances in the biochemical and structural features of both clinically relevant and environmental ß-lactamases, with emphasis on those studies analyzing the activity of ß-lactamase inhibitors. Results obtained from different countries and regions are welcome, in order to better reflect the different scenarios and strategies to combat resistant microorganisms. Moreover, insights into the importance of studying emerging new enzymes or variants in relation to the evolution of their catalytic properties and susceptibility to next generation inhibitors are of interest.
We welcome submissions of manuscripts in all acceptable formats, including original research, reviews and mini-reviews, methods and others, that present the current advances in understanding of structural and biochemical aspects of the interaction of ß-lactamases with state-of-the-art inhibitors. Relevant topics of interest include (but are not limited to):
• Biochemical characterization of clinically important ß-lactamases
• Structural studies on ß-lactamases, both in their native form and their complexes with substrates and inhibitors
• Studies showing the activity of ß-lactamase inhibitors and/or novel ß-lactamase-stable antibiotics of any chemical scaffold
• Structure-function relationship studies discussing the role of specific residues and/or structural domains in the interaction with ß-lactam substrates and inhibitors
• Biochemical and/or structural characterization of environmental ß-lactamases
Antibiotic resistance has emerged as one of the leading public health crises of the 21st century, and with the rise of multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria, physicians are facing critical clinical challenges. Infections due to resistant pathogens lead to high morbidity and mortality rates, and result in increased treatment costs. This situation has been recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO), who stated in 2011 that “no action taken today results in no cure tomorrow”, and from 2016 all countries were called on to promote a better use of available antibiotics and to build and execute efficient tools to prevent bacterial infections, under the “One Health” concept. Through structural and biochemical evidences associated with the evolution of clinically important and environmental ß-lactamases, novel efficient inhibitors can be developed to inhibit their action. Alternatively: The discovery of new potent ß-lactamase inhibitors, developed in combination with ß-lactam antibiotics, still represents a valuable strategy to overcome resistance, highlighting the importance of understanding the structural and biochemical features of ß-lactamases.
This Research Topic aims to discuss the latest advances in the biochemical and structural features of both clinically relevant and environmental ß-lactamases, with emphasis on those studies analyzing the activity of ß-lactamase inhibitors. Results obtained from different countries and regions are welcome, in order to better reflect the different scenarios and strategies to combat resistant microorganisms. Moreover, insights into the importance of studying emerging new enzymes or variants in relation to the evolution of their catalytic properties and susceptibility to next generation inhibitors are of interest.
We welcome submissions of manuscripts in all acceptable formats, including original research, reviews and mini-reviews, methods and others, that present the current advances in understanding of structural and biochemical aspects of the interaction of ß-lactamases with state-of-the-art inhibitors. Relevant topics of interest include (but are not limited to):
• Biochemical characterization of clinically important ß-lactamases
• Structural studies on ß-lactamases, both in their native form and their complexes with substrates and inhibitors
• Studies showing the activity of ß-lactamase inhibitors and/or novel ß-lactamase-stable antibiotics of any chemical scaffold
• Structure-function relationship studies discussing the role of specific residues and/or structural domains in the interaction with ß-lactam substrates and inhibitors
• Biochemical and/or structural characterization of environmental ß-lactamases
