Penicillinase

Literature References: Mol wt about 50,000. Enzymes found in many bacteria which destroy penicillins and cephalosporins by catalyzing the hydrolysis of the amide bond in the b-lactam ring. Good penicillinase producers are Bact. coli, the Bacillus subtilis-mesentericus group, Bacillus anthracis and Staphylococci. Both intra- and extracellular penicillinase are of protein nature. There are probably as many different penicillinases as there are bacteria producing them. Ion-exchange procedures for the purification of penicillinase: Puetzer, Boschetti, US 2982696 (1961 to Schenley). Amino acid sequence studies: Ambler, Meadway, Nature 222, 24 (1969). Therapeutic use in penicillin allergy: Y. P. Borodin, Allerg. Asthma 14, 43 (1968). Reviews: Chain et al. in Antibiotics vol. 2, Flory et al., Eds. (Oxford, 1949) p 1090; Rothe, Pharmazie 5, 25 (1950); Citri, Pollock, Adv. Enzymol. 28, 237 (1966); Citri in The Enzymes P. D. Boyer, Ed. (Academic Press, New York, 3rd ed., 1971) pp 23-46.