# | Rank | Similarity | Title + Abs. | Year | PMID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 487 | 0 | 1.0000 | Chromosome-encoded inducible copper resistance in Pseudomonas strains. Nine Pseudomonas strains were selected by their high copper tolerance from a population of bacteria isolated from heavy-metal polluted zones. Copper resistance (Cu(r)) was inducible by previous exposure of cultures to subinhibitory amounts of copper sulfate. All nine strains possessed large plasmids, but transformation and curing results suggest that Cu(r) is conferred by chromosomal genes. Plasmid-less Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO-derived strains showed the same level of Cu(r) as environmental isolates and their resistance to copper was also inducible. Total DNA from the environmental Pseudomonas, as well as from P. aeruginosa PAO strains, showed homology to a Cu(r) P. syringae cop probe at low-stringency conditions but failed to hybridize at high-stringency conditions. | 1995 | 8572680 |
| 3601 | 1 | 0.9998 | R factors mediate resistance to mercury, nickel, and cobalt. Fifty-five clinical isolates and laboratory stocks of Escherichia coli and Salmonella were studied for resistance to each of ten metals. Eleven clinical isolates carrying R factors were resistant to mercury, and, in each case, the resistance was mediated by a previously undefined R-factor gene. The gene was phenotypically expressed within 2 to 4 minutes after entry into sensitive bacteria, but the basis for the resistance remains undefined. Fourteen strains, 12 infected with R factors, were resistant to cobalt and nickel, but these resistances were mediated by R-factor genes in only two strains; separate R-factor genes mediated the resistances to nickel and cobalt. These and other results indicate that the genetic composition of R factors is greater than that originally defined. | 1967 | 5337360 |
| 486 | 2 | 0.9998 | Detection of heavy metal ion resistance genes in gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria isolated from a lead-contaminated site. Resistance to a range of heavy metal ions was determined for lead-resistant and other bacteria which had been isolated from a battery-manufacturing site contaminated with high concentration of lead. Several Gram-positive (belonging to the genera Arthrobacter and Corynebacterium) and Gram-negative (Alcaligenes species) isolates were resistant to lead, mercury, cadmium, cobalt, zinc and copper, although the levels of resistance to the different metal ions were specific for each isolate. Polymerase chain reaction, DNA-DNA hybridization and DNA sequencing were used to explore the nature of genetic systems responsible for the metal resistance in eight of the isolates. Specific DNA sequences could be amplified from the genomic DNA of all the isolates using primers for sections of the mer (mercury resistance determinant on the transposon Tn501) and pco (copper resistance determinant on the plasmid pRJ1004) genetic systems. Positive hybridizations with mer and pco probes indicated that the amplified segments were highly homologous to these genes. Some of the PCR products were cloned and partially sequenced, and the regions sequenced were highly homologous to the appropriate regions of the mer and pco determinants. These results demonstrate the wide distribution of mercury and copper resistance genes in both Gram-positive and Gram-negative isolates obtained from this lead-contaminated soil. In contrast, the czc (cobalt, zinc and cadmium resistance) and chr (chromate resistance) genes could not be amplified from DNAs of some isolates, indicating the limited contribution, if any, of these genetic systems to the metal ion resistance of these isolates. | 1997 | 9342884 |
| 6753 | 3 | 0.9997 | Survival of subsurface microorganisms exposed to UV radiation and hydrogen peroxide. Aerobic and microaerophilic subsurface bacteria were screened for resistance to UV light. Contrary to the hypothesis that subsurface bacteria should be sensitive to UV light, the organisms studied exhibited resistance levels as efficient as those of surface bacteria. A total of 31% of the aerobic subsurface isolates were UV resistant, compared with 26% of the surface soil bacteria that were tested. Several aerobic, gram-positive, pigmented, subsurface isolates exhibited greater resistance to UV light than all of the reference bacterial strains tested except Deinococcus radiodurans. None of the microaerophilic, gram-negative, nonpigmented, subsurface isolates were UV resistant; however, these isolates exhibited levels of sensitivity similar to those of the gram-negative reference bacteria Escherichia coli B and Pseudomonas fluorescens. Photoreactivation activity was detected in three subsurface isolates, and strain UV3 exhibited a more efficient mechanism than E. coli B. The peroxide resistance of four subsurface isolates was also examined. The aerobic subsurface bacteria resistant to UV light tolerated higher levels of H2O2 than the microaerophilic organisms. The conservation of DNA repair pathways in subsurface microorganisms may be important in maintaining DNA integrity and in protecting the organisms against chemical insults, such as oxygen radicals, during periods of slow growth. | 1993 | 8285661 |
| 4496 | 4 | 0.9997 | Phenotypic and genetic barriers to establishment of horizontally transferred genes encoding ribosomal protection proteins. BACKGROUND: Ribosomal protection proteins (RPPs) interact with bacterial ribosomes to prevent inhibition of protein synthesis by tetracycline. RPP genes have evolved from a common ancestor into at least 12 distinct classes and spread by horizontal genetic transfer into a wide range of bacteria. Many bacterial genera host RPP genes from multiple classes but tet(M) is the predominant RPP gene found in Escherichia coli. OBJECTIVES: We asked whether phenotypic barriers (low-level resistance, high fitness cost) might constrain the fixation of other RPP genes in E. coli. METHODS: We expressed a diverse set of six different RPP genes in E. coli, including tet(M), and quantified tetracycline susceptibility and growth phenotypes as a function of expression level, and evolvability to overcome identified phenotypic barriers. RESULTS: The genes tet(M) and tet(Q) conferred high-level tetracycline resistance without reducing fitness; tet(O) and tet(W) conferred high-level resistance but significantly reduced growth fitness; tetB(P) conferred low-level resistance and while mutants conferring high-level resistance were selectable these had reduced growth fitness; otr(A) did not confer resistance and resistant mutants could not be selected. Evolution experiments suggested that codon usage patterns in tet(O) and tet(W), and transcriptional silencing associated with nucleotide composition in tetB(P), accounted for the observed phenotypic barriers. CONCLUSIONS: With the exception of tet(Q), the data reveal significant phenotypic and genetic barriers to the fixation of additional RPP genes in E. coli. | 2021 | 33655294 |
| 6109 | 5 | 0.9997 | Studies on arsenic transforming groundwater bacteria and their role in arsenic release from subsurface sediment. Ten different Gram-negative arsenic (As)-resistant and As-transforming bacteria isolated from As-rich groundwater of West Bengal were characterized to assess their role in As mobilization. 16S rRNA gene analysis confirmed the affiliation of these bacteria to genera Achromobacter, Brevundimonas, Rhizobium, Ochrobactrum, and Pseudoxanthomonas. Along with superior As-resistance and As-transformation abilities, the isolates showed broad metabolic capacity in terms of utilizing a variety of electron donors and acceptors (including As) under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, respectively. Arsenic transformation studies performed under various conditions indicated highly efficient As(3+) oxidation or As(5+) reduction kinetics. Genes encoding As(3+) oxidase (aioA), cytosolic As(5+) reductase (arsC), and As(3+) efflux pump (arsB and acr3) were detected within the test isolates. Sequence analyses suggested that As homeostasis genes (particularly arsC, arsB, and acr3) were acquired by most of the bacteria through horizontal gene transfer. A strong correlation between As resistance phenotype and the presence of As(3+) transporter genes was observed. Microcosm study showed that bacterial strain having cytosolic As(5+) reductase property could play important role in mobilizing As (as As(3+)) from subsurface sediment. | 2014 | 24764001 |
| 3710 | 6 | 0.9997 | Tolerance to various toxicants by marine bacteria highly resistant to mercury. Bacteria highly resistant to mercury isolated from seawater and sediment samples were tested for growth in the presence of different heavy metals, pesticides, phenol, formaldehyde, formic acid, and trichloroethane to investigate their potential for growth in the presence of a variety of toxic xenobiotics. We hypothesized that bacteria resistant to high concentrations of mercury would have potential capacities to tolerate or possibly degrade a variety of toxic materials and thus would be important in environmental pollution bioremediation. The mercury-resistant bacteria were found to belong to Pseudomonas, Proteus, Xanthomonas, Alteromonas, Aeromonas, and Enterobacteriaceae. All these environmental bacterial strains tolerant to mercury used in this study were capable of growth at a far higher concentration (50 ppm) of mercury than previously reported. Likewise, their ability to grow in the presence of toxic xenobiotics, either singly or in combination, was superior to that of bacteria incapable of growth in media containing 5 ppm mercury. Plasmid-curing assays done in this study ascertained that resistance to mercury antibiotics, and toxic xenobiotics is mediated by chromosomally borne genes and/or transposable elements rather than by plasmids. | 2003 | 12876655 |
| 6156 | 7 | 0.9997 | Diversity of arsenite transporter genes from arsenic-resistant soil bacteria. A PCR approach was developed to assess the occurrence and diversity of arsenite transporters in arsenic-resistant bacteria. For this purpose, three sets of degenerate primers were designed for the specific amplification of approximately 750bp fragments from arsB and two subsets of ACR3 (designated ACR3(1) and ACR3(2)) arsenite carrier gene families. These primers were used to screen a collection of 41 arsenic-resistant strains isolated from two soil samples with contrasting amounts of arsenic. PCR results showed that 70.7% of the isolates contained a gene related to arsB or ACR3, with three of them carrying both arsB and ACR3-like genes. Phylogenetic analysis of the protein sequences deduced from the amplicons indicated a prevalence of arsB in Firmicutes and Gammaproteobacteria, while ACR3(1) and ACR3(2) were mostly present in Actinobacteria and Alphaproteobacteria, respectively. In addition to validating the use of degenerate primers for the identification of arsenite transporter genes in a taxonomically wide range of bacteria, the study describes a novel collection of strains displaying interesting features of resistance to arsenate, arsenite and antimonite, and the ability to oxidize arsenite. | 2007 | 17258434 |
| 5961 | 8 | 0.9997 | Characterization of novel antibiotic resistance genes identified by functional metagenomics on soil samples. The soil microbial community is highly complex and contains a high density of antibiotic-producing bacteria, making it a likely source of diverse antibiotic resistance determinants. We used functional metagenomics to search for antibiotic resistance genes in libraries generated from three different soil samples, containing 3.6 Gb of DNA in total. We identified 11 new antibiotic resistance genes: 3 conferring resistance to ampicillin, 2 to gentamicin, 2 to chloramphenicol and 4 to trimethoprim. One of the clones identified was a new trimethoprim resistance gene encoding a 26.8 kDa protein closely resembling unassigned reductases of the dihydrofolate reductase group. This protein, Tm8-3, conferred trimethoprim resistance in Escherichia coli and Sinorhizobium meliloti (γ- and α-proteobacteria respectively). We demonstrated that this gene encoded an enzyme with dihydrofolate reductase activity, with kinetic constants similar to other type I and II dihydrofolate reductases (K(m) of 8.9 µM for NADPH and 3.7 µM for dihydrofolate and IC(50) of 20 µM for trimethoprim). This is the first description of a new type of reductase conferring resistance to trimethoprim. Our results indicate that soil bacteria display a high level of genetic diversity and are a reservoir of antibiotic resistance genes, supporting the use of this approach for the discovery of novel enzymes with unexpected activities unpredictable from their amino acid sequences. | 2011 | 21281423 |
| 3712 | 9 | 0.9997 | Enumeration and characterization of culturable arsenate resistant bacteria in a large estuary. Arsenic is a toxic element that exists in two major inorganic forms, arsenate and arsenite. A number of bacteria have been shown to resist arsenic exposure, and even more bacteria appear to possess the genes for arsenic resistance. In this study, the numbers of culturable arsenate-resistant bacteria present in water at three coastal sites in the Lake Pontchartrain estuary, Louisiana, was determined. Despite insignificant (less than 1.33 microM) levels of arsenic in this system, 20-50% of the viable count of bacteria showed appreciable arsenate resistance, suggesting that arsenic-resistant bacteria are common and widespread. A diverse array of arsenate-resistant isolates was obtained, with 16S rRNA sequence analysis indicating 37 different bacterial strains, representing six major bacterial groups. Many of these isolates were affiliated with groups of bacteria that have been poorly characterized in terms of arsenic resistance, such as the Betaproteobacteria or Flavobacteria. Some isolates were capable of tolerating very high (> 100 mM) levels of arsenate, although arsenite resistance was generally much lower. The results suggest that arsenic-resistant bacteria are common, even in environments with insignificant arsenic contamination, and that many different groups of aquatic bacteria show appreciable arsenic resistance. | 2005 | 16261862 |
| 485 | 10 | 0.9996 | Role of plasmids in mercury transformation by bacteria isolated from the aquatic environment. Eight mercury-resistant bacterial strains isolated from the Chesapeake Bay and one strain isolated from the Cayman Trench were examined for ability to volatilize mercury. Mercury volatilization was found to be variable in the strains tested. In addition, plasmids were detected in all strains. After curing, two of the bacterial strains lost mercury resistance, indicating that volatilization is plasmid mediated in these strains. Only two cultures demonstrated ability to methylate mercuric chloride under either aerobic or anaerobic conditions. Methylation of mercury, compared with volatilization, appears to be mediated by a separate genetic system in these bacteria. It is concluded that mercury volatilization in the estuarine environment can be mediated by genes carried on plasmids. | 1979 | 533275 |
| 4498 | 11 | 0.9996 | A naturally occurring gene amplification leading to sulfonamide and trimethoprim resistance in Streptococcus agalactiae. Gene amplifications have been detected as a transitory phenomenon in bacterial cultures. They are predicted to contribute to rapid adaptation by simultaneously increasing the expression of genes clustered on the chromosome. However, genome amplifications have rarely been described in natural isolates. Through DNA array analysis, we have identified two Streptococcus agalactiae strains carrying tandem genome amplifications: a fourfold amplification of 13.5 kb and a duplication of 92 kb. Both amplifications were located close to the terminus of replication and originated independently from any long repeated sequence. They probably arose in the human host and showed different stabilities, the 13.5-kb amplification being lost at a frequency of 0.003 per generation and the 92-kb tandem duplication at a frequency of 0.035 per generation. The 13.5-kb tandem amplification carried the five genes required for dihydrofolate biosynthesis and led to both trimethoprim (TMP) and sulfonamide (SU) resistance. Resistance to SU probably resulted from the increased synthesis of dihydropteroate synthase, the target of this antibiotic, whereas the amplification of the whole pathway was responsible for TMP resistance. This revealed a new mechanism of resistance to TMP involving an increased dihydrofolate biosynthesis. This is, to our knowledge, the first reported case of naturally occurring antibiotic resistance resulting from genome amplification in bacteria. The low stability of DNA segment amplifications suggests that their role in antibiotic resistance might have been underestimated. | 2008 | 18024520 |
| 442 | 12 | 0.9996 | Mercuric reductase in environmental gram-positive bacteria sensitive to mercury. According to existing data, mercury resistance operons (mer operons) are in general thought to be rare in bacteria, other than those from mercury-contaminated sites. We have found that a high proportion of strains in environmental isolates of Gram-positive bacteria express mercuric reductase (MerA protein): the majority of these strains are apparently sensitive to mercury. The expression of MerA was also inducible in all cases. These results imply the presence of phenotypically cryptic mer resistance operons, with both the merA (mercuric reductase) and merR (regulatory) genes still present, but the possible absence of the transport function required to complete the resistance mechanism. This indicates that mer operons or parts thereof are more widely spread in nature than is suggested by the frequency of mercury-resistant bacteria. | 1992 | 1427009 |
| 3600 | 13 | 0.9996 | Uncultured soil bacteria are a reservoir of new antibiotic resistance genes. Antibiotic resistance genes are typically isolated by cloning from cultured bacteria or by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification from environmental samples. These methods do not access the potential reservoir of undiscovered antibiotic resistance genes harboured by soil bacteria because most soil bacteria are not cultured readily, and PCR detection of antibiotic resistance genes depends on primers that are based on known genes. To explore this reservoir, we isolated DNA directly from soil samples, cloned the DNA and selected for clones that expressed antibiotic resistance in Escherichia coli. We constructed four libraries that collectively contain 4.1 gigabases of cloned soil DNA. From these and two previously reported libraries, we identified nine clones expressing resistance to aminoglycoside antibiotics and one expressing tetracycline resistance. Based on the predicted amino acid sequences of the resistance genes, the resistance mechanisms include efflux of tetracycline and inactivation of aminoglycoside antibiotics by phosphorylation and acetylation. With one exception, all the sequences are considerably different from previously reported sequences. The results indicate that soil bacteria are a reservoir of antibiotic resistance genes with greater genetic diversity than previously accounted for, and that the diversity can be surveyed by a culture-independent method. | 2004 | 15305923 |
| 484 | 14 | 0.9996 | Evidence for high affinity nickel transporter genes in heavy metal resistant Streptomyces spec. We have isolated 25 new strains of streptomycetes from soil samples of a polluted site at the former uranium mine, Wismut, in eastern Thuringia, Germany. The strains grew on medium containing 1 mM NiCl2 and thus were resistant to the heavy metal ion. Seven of the strains were further characterized. All of these strains were resistant to heavy metals in various degrees with up to 10 mM resistance against NiCl2 supplied with the liquid minimal growth medium. The high level of resistance prompted us to look for high affinity nickel transporter genes thought to provide a means to eliminate the excess nickel ions form the cells. Degenerate oligonucleotide primers derived from sequences of P-type ATPase transporter genes of Gram negative bacteria identified a fragment which shows deduced amino acid sequence similarities to known high affinity nickel transporters. Investigation of two genes obtained from the isolates Streptomyces spec. E8 and F4 showed high sequence divergence. This was unexpected since a transmissible plasmid had been thought to convey heavy metal resistance. | 2000 | 11199488 |
| 4497 | 15 | 0.9996 | Detection and expression analysis of tet(B) in Streptococcus oralis. Tetracycline resistance can be achieved through tet genes, which code for efflux pumps, ribosomal protection proteins and inactivation enzymes. Some of these genes have only been described in either Gram-positive or Gram-negative bacteria. This is the case of tet(B), which codes for an efflux pump and, so far, had only been found in Gram-negative bacteria. In this study, tet(B) was detected in two clinical Streptococcus oralis strains isolated from the gingival sulci of two subjects. In both cases, the gene was completely sequenced, yielding 100% shared identity and coverage with other previously published sequences of tet(B). Moreover, we studied the expression of tet(B) using RT-qPCR in the isolates grown with and without tetracycline, detecting constitutive expression in only one of the isolates, with no signs of expression in the other one. This is the first time that the presence and expression of the tet(B) gene has been confirmed in Gram-positive bacteria, which highlights the potential of the genus Streptococcus to become a reservoir and a disseminator of antibiotic resistance genes in an environment so prone to horizontal gene transfer as is the oral biofilm. | 2019 | 31448060 |
| 3805 | 16 | 0.9996 | De Novo Characterization of Genes That Contribute to High-Level Ciprofloxacin Resistance in Escherichia coli. Sensitization of resistant bacteria to existing antibiotics depends on the identification of candidate targets whose activities contribute to resistance. Using a transposon insertion library in an Escherichia coli mutant that was 2,000 times less susceptible to ciprofloxacin than its parent and the relative fitness scores, we identified 19 genes that contributed to the acquired ciprofloxacin resistance and mapped the shortest genetic path that increased the antibiotic susceptibility of the resistant bacteria back to a near wild-type level. | 2016 | 27431218 |
| 6108 | 17 | 0.9996 | Genes involved in arsenic transformation and resistance associated with different levels of arsenic-contaminated soils. BACKGROUND: Arsenic is known as a toxic metalloid, which primarily exists in inorganic form [As(III) and As(V)] and can be transformed by microbial redox processes in the natural environment. As(III) is much more toxic and mobile than As(V), hence microbial arsenic redox transformation has a major impact on arsenic toxicity and mobility which can greatly influence the human health. Our main purpose was to investigate the distribution and diversity of microbial arsenite-resistant species in three different arsenic-contaminated soils, and further study the As(III) resistance levels and related functional genes of these species. RESULTS: A total of 58 arsenite-resistant bacteria were identified from soils with three different arsenic-contaminated levels. Highly arsenite-resistant bacteria (MIC > 20 mM) were only isolated from the highly arsenic-contaminated site and belonged to Acinetobacter, Agrobacterium, Arthrobacter, Comamonas, Rhodococcus, Stenotrophomonas and Pseudomonas. Five arsenite-oxidizing bacteria that belonged to Achromobacter, Agrobacterium and Pseudomonas were identified and displayed a higher average arsenite resistance level than the non-arsenite oxidizers. 5 aoxB genes encoding arsenite oxidase and 51 arsenite transporter genes [18 arsB, 12 ACR3(1) and 21 ACR3(2)] were successfully amplified from these strains using PCR with degenerate primers. The aoxB genes were specific for the arsenite-oxidizing bacteria. Strains containing both an arsenite oxidase gene (aoxB) and an arsenite transporter gene (ACR3 or arsB) displayed a higher average arsenite resistance level than those possessing an arsenite transporter gene only. Horizontal transfer of ACR3(2) and arsB appeared to have occurred in strains that were primarily isolated from the highly arsenic-contaminated soil. CONCLUSION: Soils with long-term arsenic contamination may result in the evolution of highly diverse arsenite-resistant bacteria and such diversity was probably caused in part by horizontal gene transfer events. Bacteria capable of both arsenite oxidation and arsenite efflux mechanisms had an elevated arsenite resistance level. | 2009 | 19128515 |
| 3701 | 18 | 0.9996 | Genetic Determinants for Metal Tolerance and Antimicrobial Resistance Detected in Bacteria Isolated from Soils of Olive Tree Farms. Copper-derived compounds are often used in olive tree farms. In a previous study, a collection of bacterial strains isolated from olive tree farms were identified and tested for phenotypic antimicrobial resistance and heavy metal tolerance. The aim of this work was to study the genetic determinants of resistance and to evaluate the co-occurrence of metal tolerance and antibiotic resistance genes. Both metal tolerance and antibiotic resistance genes (including beta-lactamase genes) were detected in the bacterial strains from Cu-treated soils. A high percentage of the strains positive for metal tolerance genes also carried antibiotic resistance genes, especially for genes involved in resistances to beta-lactams and tetracycline. Significant associations were detected between genes involved in copper tolerance and genes coding for beta-lactamases or tetracycline resistance mechanisms. A significant association was also detected between zntA (coding for a Zn(II)-translocating P-type ATPase) and tetC genes. In conclusion, bacteria from soils of Cu-treated olive farms may carry both metal tolerance and antibiotic resistance genes. The positive associations detected between metal tolerance genes and antibiotic resistance genes suggests co-selection of such genetic traits by exposure to metals. | 2020 | 32756388 |
| 4500 | 19 | 0.9996 | Mosaic tetracycline resistance genes encoding ribosomal protection proteins. First reported in 2003, mosaic tetracycline resistance genes are a subgroup of the genes encoding ribosomal protection proteins (RPPs). They are formed when two or more RPP-encoding genes recombine resulting in a functional chimera. To date, the majority of mosaic genes are derived from sections of three RPP genes, tet(O), tet(W) and tet(32), with others comprising tet(M) and tet(S). In this first review of mosaic genes, we report on their structure, diversity and prevalence, and suggest that these genes may be responsible for an under-reported contribution to tetracycline resistance in bacteria. | 2016 | 27494928 |