Boric acid and acetate anion binding to subclass B3 metallo-β-lactamase BJP-1 provides clues for mechanism of action and inhibitor design

•Metallo-b-lactamases are among major antibiotic resistance determinants.•X-ray crystallography provides useful information for fragment-based drug design.•Two fragment-bound structures of BJP-1 were obtained at atomic resolution.•These structures are useful for MBL inhibitor discovery and optimization.