Structure of a highly acidic -lactamase from the moderate halophile sp.560 and the discovery of a Cs-selective binding site

Arai, Shigeki; Yonezawa, Yasushi*; Okazaki, Nobuo*; Matsumoto, Fumiko*; Shibazaki, Chie; Shimizu, Rumi; Yamada, Mitsugu*; Adachi, Motoyasu; Tamada, Taro; Kawamoto, Masahide*; Tokunaga, Hiroko*; Ishibashi, Matsujiro*; Blaber, M.; Tokunaga, Masao*; Kuroki, Ryota

The crystal structure of halophilic -lactamase from sp.560 (HaBLA) was determined using X-ray crystallography. Moreover, the locations of bound Sr and Cs ions were identified by anomalous X-ray diffraction. The location of one Cs specific binding site was identified on HaBLA even in the presence of 9-fold molar excess of Na (90 mM Na /10 mM Cs). This Cs binding site is formed by two main-chain O atoms and an aromatic ring of a side chain of Trp. An aromatic ring of Trp interacts with Cs by the cation- interaction. The observation of a selective and high-affinity Cs binding site provides important information that is useful for designing artificial Cs binding sites useful in bioremediation of radioactive isotopes.