Characterisation of the metallo-β-lactamase VIM-6 and its genetic support

The purpose of this study was to characterise the metallo-β-lactamase VIM-6 and the genetic environment of the blaVIM-6 gene. The blaVIM-6 gene was cloned into an Escherichia coli expression system and the purified VIM-6 enzyme was obtained. VIM-6 has an isoelectric point of 4.9 and a molecular weight of 28.368 Da. VIM-6 hydrolysed all tested penicillins, cephalosporins and carbapenems with the exception of aztreonam. In Pseudomonas putida, the blaVIM-6 gene is the first in a class 1 integron also containing blaOXA-10, aacA4, an open reading frame of unknown function, aadA and qacEΔ1.