Cysteinyl peptide Inhibitors of Bacillus cereus Zinc β-Lactamase Original Research Article

Several cysteinyl peptides have been synthesised and shown to be reversible competitive inhibitors of the Bacillus cereus metallo-β-lactamase. The pH dependence of pKi indicates that the thiol anion displaces hydroxide ion from the active site zinc(II). d,d-Peptides bind to the enzyme better than other diastereoisomers, which is compatible with the predicted stereochemistry of the active site.