Purification and properties of an inducible cephalosporinase from Pseudomonas maltophilia GN12873.

An inducible cephalosporinase was purified from Pseudomonas maltophilia GN12873. The pI was 8.4, and the molecular weight was ca. 56,000 by gel filtration or 27,000 by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, suggesting that this enzyme had two subunits. The optimal pH and optimal temperature were 7.5 and 45 degrees C, respectively. Enzyme activity was inhibited by clavulanic acid, sulbactam, cephamycin derivatives, carbapenem antibiotics, iodine, HgCl2, and p-chloromercuribenzoate. The enzyme showed a broad substrate profile, hydrolyzing cephaloridine, cefazolin, cefsulodin, penicillin G, ceftizoxime, and ampicillin at a high rate.