Cefotaxime-hydrolysing activity of the beta-lactamase of Klebsiella oxytoca D488 could be related to a threonine residue at position 140.

The chromosomally encoded beta-lactamase of Klebsiella oxytoca D483 strain, active against all third-generation cephalosporins but ceftazidime, was purified to homogeneity. The pure protein was digested by trypsin, Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease or proteinase Asp-N. Amino acid sequences of the HPLC-separated proteolytic peptides were determined by manual Edman degradation. Overlapping fragments gave the alignment of the 263 residues of the beta-lactamase which presented 90% homology with the beta-lactamase of the K. oxytoca E23004 strain and about 40% homology with the other enzymes of the structural class A. The cefotaximase activity might result from interaction of a threonine residue at position 140 (position 165 in the numbering of Ambler) with the oxyimino group of the antibiotic.