What is the Difference Between Penicillinase and Beta Lactamase

The key difference between penicillinase and beta lactamase is that penicillinase is a type of beta lactamase that shows specificity to penicillin, while beta lactamase is a group of enzymes produced by bacteria that develop multi-resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics such as penicillin, cephalosporin, cephamycin, and monobactam.

Antibiotic resistance is a major concern in the modern world. Beta lactamase is a group of enzymes produced by bacteria to cause antibiotic resistance to different types of antibiotics in the beta lactam group. These enzymes hydrolyze the beta lactam ring of the specific antibiotic and make it ineffective. Penicillinase is one specific type of beta lactamase and was the first type of beta lactamase enzyme identified.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Penicillinase 
3. What is Beta Lactamase
4. Similarities – Penicillinase and Beta Lactamase
5. Penicillinase vs Beta Lactamase in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Penicillinase vs Beta Lactamase

What is Penicillinase?

Penicillinase is a specific type of beta lactamase enzyme produced by bacteria that cause resistance against penicillin antibiotics and destroys the antimicrobial action of the drug. Penicillinase shows specificity to penicillin. This enzyme causes antibiotic resistance through the hydrolysis of beta lactam ring present in penicillin. The molecular weight of penicillinase varies and usually is around 50 kilo Daltons.

Penicillinase is the first type of beta lactamase identified and was isolated from gram-negative Escherichia coli by Abraham and Chain in 1940. This was even before the clinical use of penicillin as an antibiotic. After identification, it was observed that the production of penicillinase was common in other bacteria after some time and caused resistance to penicillin. Scientists developed penicillinase-resistant beta lactam antibiotics such as methicillin, but eventually they became resistant due to the widespread antibiotic-resistant bacteria (specifically to beta lactam antibiotics).

What is Beta Lactamase?

Beta lactamase is a group of enzymes divided into nine classes. They are produced by bacteria that cause resistance against beta lactam antibiotics, which are antibiotics that destroy the antimicrobial action of the drugs. These enzymes cause multi-resistance to beta lactam antibiotics such as penicillin, cephalosporin, cephamycin, monobactam, and carbapenem. Beta lactam antibiotics have a common structure called the beta lactam ring in their structure. This beta lactam ring is hydrolyzed by beta lactamase enzymes, causing the disruption of the antimicrobial action of the drugs through the deactivation of molecules that have antimicrobial properties.

All beta lactam antibiotics target broad-spectrum bacteria belonging to both gram-negative and gram-positive categories. Hence, the action of beta lactamase causes a multi drug resistance to many bacterial types. The approximate molecular weight of beta lactamase is 29.8 kilo Daltons. The main types of beta lactamase include TEM beta-lactamases (class A), SHV beta-lactamases (class A), CTX-M beta-lactamases (class A), and OXA beta-lactamases (class D). According to the type of beta lactamase, the mechanism of opening the beta lactam ring of antibiotic drugs vary.

What are the Similarities Between Penicillinase and Beta Lactamase?

• Penicillinase and beta lactamase are enzymes.
• They are proteins.
• Bacteria produce both penicillinase and beta lactamase.
• Both types are involved in microbial antibiotic resistance.
• Moreover, both hydrolyze beta lactam rings.
• Both types cause antibiotic resistance to beta lactam antibiotics.

What is the Difference Between Penicillinase and Beta Lactamase?

Penicillinase is a type of beta lactamase that shows specificity to penicillin while beta lactamase is a group of enzymes produced by bacteria that develop multi-resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics such as penicillin, cephalosporin, cephamycin, and monobactam. Thus, this is the key difference between penicillinase and beta lactamase. Moreover, the molecular weights of penicillinase and beta lactamase are approximately 50-kilo Daltons and 28.9-kilo Daltons, respectively. Besides, the hydrolysis of beta lactam ring of the antibiotic drugs occurs in different mechanisms with reference to beta lactamase. But in penicillinase, it hydrolyses the amide bonds of beta-lactam ring.

The below infographic presents the differences between penicillinase and beta lactamase in tabular form for side by side comparison.

Summary – Penicillinase vs Beta Lactamase

Antibiotic resistance is a major concern in the modern world. Penicillinase is a type of beta lactamase that shows specificity to penicillin, while beta lactamase is a group of enzymes produced by bacteria that develop multi-resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics such as penicillin, cephalosporin, cephamycin, monobactam. So, this is the key difference between penicillinase and beta lactamase. Beta lactamase is a group of enzymes produced by bacteria that cause resistance against beta lactam antibiotics, which are antibiotics that destroy the antimicrobial action of the drugs.

Reference:

1. “Enzyme.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
2. GA;, Bush K;Jacoby. “Updated Functional Classification of Beta-Lactamases.” Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, U.S. National Library of Medicine.
3. “Marker/Reporter Enzymes.” ScienceDirect.com.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Penicillinase Application V.2” By Jü – Own work (CC0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Lectka Beta Lactam Mechanism” By CoolDork89 at English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia