Burkholderia pseudomallei resistance to antibiotics in biofilm-induced conditions is related to efflux pumps. - Related Documents




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904601.0000Burkholderia pseudomallei resistance to antibiotics in biofilm-induced conditions is related to efflux pumps. Burkholderia pseudomallei, the causative agent of melioidosis, has been found to increase its resistance to antibiotics when growing as a biofilm. The resistance is related to several mechanisms. One of the possible mechanisms is the efflux pump. Using bioinformatics analysis, it was found that BPSL1661, BPSL1664 and BPSL1665 were orthologous genes of the efflux transporter encoding genes for biofilm-related antibiotic resistance, PA1874-PA1877 genes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PAO1. Expression of selected encoding genes for the efflux transporter system during biofilm formation were investigated. Real-time reverse transcriptase PCR expression of amrB, cytoplasmic membrane protein of AmrAB-OprA efflux transporter encoding gene, was slightly increased, while BPSL1665 was significantly increased during growth of bacteria in biofilm formation. Minimum biofilm inhibition concentration and minimum biofilm eradication concentration (MBEC) of ceftazidime (CTZ), doxycycline (DOX) and imipenem were found to be 2- to 1024-times increased when compared to their MICs for of planktonic cells. Inhibition of the efflux transporter by adding phenylalanine arginine β-napthylamide (PAβN), a universal efflux inhibitor, decreased 2 to 16 times as much as MBEC in B. pseudomallei biofilms with CTZ and DOX. When the intracellular accumulation of antibiotics was tested to reveal the pump inhibition, only the concentrations of CTZ and DOX increased in PAβN treated biofilm. Taken together, these results indicated that BPSL1665, a putative precursor of the efflux pump gene, might be related to the adaptation of B. pseudomallei in biofilm conditions. Inhibition of efflux pumps may lead to a decrease of resistance to CTZ and DOX in biofilm cells.201627702426
903810.9993Molecular mechanisms of chlorhexidine tolerance in Burkholderia cenocepacia biofilms. The high tolerance of biofilm-grown Burkholderia cepacia complex bacteria against antimicrobial agents presents considerable problems for the treatment of infected cystic fibrosis patients and the implementation of infection control guidelines. In the present study, we analyzed the tolerance of planktonic and sessile Burkholderia cenocepacia J2315 cultures and examined the transcriptional response of sessile cells to treatment with chlorhexidine. At low (0.0005%) and high (0.05%) concentrations, chlorhexidine had a similar effect on both populations, but at intermediate concentrations (0.015%) the antimicrobial activity was more pronounced in planktonic cultures. The exposure of sessile cells to chlorhexidine resulted in an upregulation of the transcription of 469 (6.56%) and the downregulation of 257 (3.59%) protein-coding genes. A major group of upregulated genes in the treated biofilms encoded membrane-related and regulatory proteins. In addition, several genes coding for drug resistance determinants also were upregulated. The phenotypic analysis of RND (resistance-nodulation-division) efflux pump mutants suggests the presence of lifestyle-specific chlorhexidine tolerance mechanisms; efflux system RND-4 (BCAL2820-BCAL2822) was more responsible for chlorhexidine tolerance in planktonic cells, while other systems (RND-3 [BCAL1672-BCAL1676] and RND-9 [BCAM1945-BCAM1947]) were linked to resistance in sessile cells. After sessile cell exposure, multiple genes encoding chemotaxis and motility-related proteins were upregulated in concert with the downregulation of an adhesin-encoding gene (BCAM2143), suggesting that sessile cells tried to escape the biofilm. We also observed the differential expression of 19 genes carrying putative small RNA molecules, indicating a novel role for these regulatory elements in chlorhexidine tolerance.201121357299
903520.9992Involvement of a novel efflux system in biofilm-specific resistance to antibiotics. Bacteria growing in biofilms are more resistant to antibiotics than their planktonic counterparts. How this transition occurs is unclear, but it is likely there are multiple mechanisms of resistance that act together in order to provide an increased overall level of resistance to the biofilm. We have identified a novel efflux pump in Pseudomonas aeruginosa that is important for biofilm-specific resistance to a subset of antibiotics. Complete deletion of the genes encoding this pump, PA1874 to PA1877 (PA1874-1877) genes, in an P. aeruginosa PA14 background results in an increase in sensitivity to tobramycin, gentamicin, and ciprofloxacin, specifically when this mutant strain is growing in a biofilm. This efflux pump is more highly expressed in biofilm cells than in planktonic cells, providing an explanation for why these genes are important for biofilm but not planktonic resistance to antibiotics. Furthermore, expression of these genes in planktonic cells increases their resistance to antibiotics. We have previously shown that ndvB is important for biofilm-specific resistance (T. F. Mah, B. Pitts, B. Pellock, G. C. Walker, P. S. Stewart, and G. A. O'Toole, Nature 426:306-310, 2003). Our discovery that combining the ndvB mutation with the PA1874-1877 gene deletion results in a mutant strain that is more sensitive to antibiotics than either single mutant strain suggests that ndvB and PA1874-1877 contribute to two different mechanisms of biofilm-specific resistance to antibiotics.200818469108
903730.9992Assessment of three Resistance-Nodulation-Cell Division drug efflux transporters of Burkholderia cenocepacia in intrinsic antibiotic resistance. BACKGROUND: Burkholderia cenocepacia are opportunistic Gram-negative bacteria that can cause chronic pulmonary infections in patients with cystic fibrosis. These bacteria demonstrate a high-level of intrinsic antibiotic resistance to most clinically useful antibiotics complicating treatment. We previously identified 14 genes encoding putative Resistance-Nodulation-Cell Division (RND) efflux pumps in the genome of B. cenocepacia J2315, but the contribution of these pumps to the intrinsic drug resistance of this bacterium remains unclear. RESULTS: To investigate the contribution of efflux pumps to intrinsic drug resistance of B. cenocepacia J2315, we deleted 3 operons encoding the putative RND transporters RND-1, RND-3, and RND-4 containing the genes BCAS0591-BCAS0593, BCAL1674-BCAL1676, and BCAL2822-BCAL2820. Each deletion included the genes encoding the RND transporter itself and those encoding predicted periplasmic proteins and outer membrane pores. In addition, the deletion of rnd-3 also included BCAL1672, encoding a putative TetR regulator. The B. cenocepacia rnd-3 and rnd-4 mutants demonstrated increased sensitivity to inhibitory compounds, suggesting an involvement of these proteins in drug resistance. Moreover, the rnd-3 and rnd-4 mutants demonstrated reduced accumulation of N-acyl homoserine lactones in the growth medium. In contrast, deletion of the rnd-1 operon had no detectable phenotypes under the conditions assayed. CONCLUSION: Two of the three inactivated RND efflux pumps in B. cenocepacia J2315 contribute to the high level of intrinsic resistance of this strain to some antibiotics and other inhibitory compounds. Furthermore, these efflux systems also mediate accumulation in the growth medium of quorum sensing molecules that have been shown to contribute to infection. A systematic study of RND efflux systems in B. cenocepacia is required to provide a full picture of intrinsic antibiotic resistance in this opportunistic bacterium.200919761586
894240.9991Indole-Induced Activities of β-Lactamase and Efflux Pump Confer Ampicillin Resistance in Pseudomonas putida KT2440. Indole, which is widespread in microbial communities, has received attention because of its effects on bacterial physiology. Pseudomonas putida and Pseudomonas aeruginosa can acquire ampicillin (Amp) resistance during growth on indole-Amp agar. Transcriptome, mutant, and inhibitor studies have suggested that Amp resistance induced by indole can be attributed to increased gene expression of ttgAB encoding two genes of RND-type multidrug efflux operons and an ampC encoding β-lactamase. Expression, enzyme activities, and mutational analyses indicated that AmpC β-lactamase is important for acquiring Amp resistance of P. putida in the presence of indole. Here, we show, for the first time, that volatile indole increased Amp-resistant cells. Consistent with results of the volatile indole assay, a low concentration of indole in liquid culture promoted growth initially, but led to mutagenesis after indole was depleted, which could not be observed at high indole concentrations. Interestingly, ttgAB and ampC gene expression levels correlate with the concentration of indole, which might explain the low number of Amp-mutated cells in high indole concentrations. The expression levels of genes involved in mutagenesis, namely rpoS, recA, and mutS, were also modulated by indole. Our data indicates that indole reduces Amp-induced heterogeneity by promoting expression of TtgABC or MexAB-OprM efflux pumps and the indole-induced β-lactamase in P. putida and P. aeruginosa.201728352264
904150.9991Spontaneous and evolutionary changes in the antibiotic resistance of Burkholderia cenocepacia observed by global gene expression analysis. BACKGROUND: Burkholderia cenocepacia is a member of the Burkholderia cepacia complex group of bacteria that cause infections in individuals with cystic fibrosis. B. cenocepacia isolate J2315 has been genome sequenced and is representative of a virulent, epidemic CF strain (ET12). Its genome encodes multiple antimicrobial resistance pathways and it is not known which of these is important for intrinsic or spontaneous resistance. To map these pathways, transcriptomic analysis was performed on: (i) strain J2315 exposed to sub-inhibitory concentrations of antibiotics and the antibiotic potentiator chlorpromazine, and (ii) on spontaneous mutants derived from J2315 and with increased resistance to the antibiotics amikacin, meropenem and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Two pan-resistant ET12 outbreak isolates recovered two decades after J2315 were also compared to identify naturally evolved gene expression changes. RESULTS: Spontaneous resistance in B. cenocepacia involved more gene expression changes and different subsets of genes than those provoked by exposure to sub inhibitory concentrations of each antibiotic. The phenotype and altered gene expression in the resistant mutants was also stable irrespective of the presence of the priming antibiotic. Both known and novel genes involved in efflux, antibiotic degradation/modification, membrane function, regulation and unknown functions were mapped. A novel role for the phenylacetic acid (PA) degradation pathway genes was identified in relation to spontaneous resistance to meropenem and glucose was found to repress their expression. Subsequently, 20 mM glucose was found to produce greater that 2-fold reductions in the MIC of multiple antibiotics against B. cenocepacia J2315. Mutation of an RND multidrug efflux pump locus (BCAM0925-27) and squalene-hopene cyclase gene (BCAS0167), both upregulated after chlorpromazine exposure, confirmed their role in resistance. The recently isolated outbreak isolates had altered the expression of multiple genes which mirrored changes seen in the antibiotic resistant mutants, corroborating the strategy used to model resistance. Mutation of an ABC transporter gene (BCAS0081) upregulated in both outbreak strains, confirmed its role in B. cenocepacia resistance. CONCLUSIONS: Global mapping of the genetic pathways which mediate antibiotic resistance in B. cenocepacia has revealed that they are multifactorial, identified potential therapeutic targets and also demonstrated that putative catabolite repression of genes by glucose can improve antibiotic efficacy.201121781329
622660.9991Chlorhexidine Promotes Psl Expression in Pseudomonas aeruginosa That Enhances Cell Aggregation with Preserved Pathogenicity Demonstrates an Adaptation against Antiseptic. Because Pseudomonas aeruginosa is frequently in contact with Chlorhexidine (a regular antiseptic), bacterial adaptations are possible. In comparison with the parent strain, the Chlorhexidine-adapted strain formed smaller colonies with metabolic downregulation (proteomic analysis) with the cross-resistance against colistin (an antibiotic for several antibiotic-resistant bacteria), partly through the modification of L-Ara4N in the lipopolysaccharide at the outer membrane. Chlorhexidine-adapted strain formed dense liquid-solid interface biofilms with enhanced cell aggregation partly due to the Chlorhexidine-induced overexpression of psl (exopolysaccharide-encoded gene) through the LadS/GacSA pathway (c-di-GMP-independence) in 12 h biofilms and maintained the aggregation with SiaD-mediated c-di-GMP dependence in 24 h biofilms as evaluated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The addition of Ca(2+) in the Chlorhexidine-adapted strain facilitated several Psl-associated genes, indicating an impact of Ca(2+) in Psl production. The activation by Chlorhexidine-treated sessile bacteria demonstrated a lower expression of IL-6 and IL-8 on fibroblasts and macrophages than the activation by the parent strain, indicating the less inflammatory reactions from Chlorhexidine-exposed bacteria. However, the 14-day severity of the wounds in mouse caused by Chlorhexidine-treated bacteria versus the parent strain was similar, as indicated by wound diameters and bacterial burdens. In conclusion, Chlorhexidine induced psl over-expression and colistin cross-resistance that might be clinically important.202235955437
903970.9991Resistance of the Burkholderia cepacia complex to fosmidomycin and fosmidomycin derivatives. The Burkholderia cepacia complex (BCC) is a group of 17 closely related opportunistic pathogens that are able to infect the respiratory tract of cystic fibrosis patients. BCC bacteria are intrinsically resistant to many antibiotics and are therefore difficult to eradicate. Fosmidomycin could be a new therapeutic agent to treat BCC infections as it inhibits 1-deoxy-d-xylulose-5-phosphate reductoisomerase (Dxr), a key enzyme in the non-mevalonate pathway essential in BCC bacteria for isoprenoid synthesis. In this study, the antimicrobial activity of fosmidomycin and eight fosmidomycin derivatives towards 40 BCC strains was investigated. All BCC strains were resistant to fosmidomycin, although addition of glucose-6-phosphate reduced the minimum inhibitory concentration values of FR900098, the fosmidomycin acetyl derivative, from 512 mg/L to 64 mg/L for Burkholderia multivorans and B. cepacia. This enhanced activity was linked to increased expression of the genes involved in glycerol-3-phosphate transport, which appears to be the only route for fosmidomycin import in BCC bacteria. Furthermore, upregulation of a fosmidomycin resistance gene (fsr) encoding an efflux pump was observed during fosmidomycin and FR900098 treatment. These results strongly suggest that the observed resistance in BCC bacteria is due to insufficient uptake accompanied by fosmidomycin and FR900098 efflux.201121724375
629880.9990Sublethal Sodium Hypochlorite Exposure: Impact on Resistance-Nodulation-Cell Division Efflux Pump Overexpression and Cross-Resistance to Imipenem. Sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) is widely used in public healthcare facilities; this exposure can result in the development of bacterial tolerance to disinfectants, which has known links to antibiotic cross-resistance. However, the mechanism through which cross-resistance to antibiotics and disinfectants develops remains ambiguous. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the phenotypic and transcriptomic changes caused by disinfectant exposure in Gram-negative bacteria and determine the cause of cross-resistance to antibiotics. The results demonstrated that the misuse of disinfectants plays an important role in the emergence of disinfectant resistance and in the increase in antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic resistance may occur from the exposure of Gram-negative bacteria to subminimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of NaOCl. Ten passages of Gram-negative bacteria in increasingly higher subMICs of the NaOCl disinfectant were sufficient to increase the MIC to >2500 µg/mL NaOCl, particularly in K. pneumoniae and P. aeruginosa. To determine the development of cross-resistance to antibiotics due to NaOCl exposure, the MICs for each antibiotic before and after the exposure of each strain to sublethal concentrations of NaOCl were compared. After overnight incubation with a sublethal concentration of NaOCl, a statistically significant increase in MIC was only observed for imipenem (p < 0.01). An investigation of the mechanism of cross-resistance by means of transcriptome analysis revealed that 1250 µg/mL of NaOCl-adapted K. pneumoniae and P. aeruginosa strains increased resistance to imipenem due to the increased expression of resistance-nodulation-cell division (RND) efflux pumps, such as AcrAB-TolC and MexAB/XY-OprM. Therefore, we suggest that exposure to NaOCl can influence the expression of RND efflux pump genes, contributing to imipenem cross-resistance.202439335002
902090.9990Transcriptome Analysis Reveals the Resistance Mechanism of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to Tachyplesin I. BACKGROUND: Tachyplesin I is a cationic antimicrobial peptide with a typical cyclic antiparallel β-sheet structure. We previously demonstrated that long-term continuous exposure to increased concentration of tachyplesin I can induce resistant Gram-negative bacteria. However, no significant information is available about the resistance mechanism of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) to tachyplesin I. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, the global gene expression profiling of P. aeruginosa strain PA-99 and P. aeruginosa CGMCC1.2620 (PA1.2620) was conducted using transcriptome sequencing. For this purpose, outer membrane permeability and outer membrane proteins (OMPs) were further analyzed. RESULTS: Transcriptome sequencing detected 672 upregulated and 787 downregulated genes, covering Clusters of Orthologous Groups (COGs) of P. aeruginosa strain PA-99 compared with PA1.2620. Totally, 749 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were assigned to 98 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways, and among them, a two-component regulatory system, a beta-lactam resistance system, etc. were involved in some known genes resistant to drugs. Additionally, we further attempted to indicate whether the resistance mechanism of P. aeruginosa to tachyplesin I was associated with the changes of outer membrane permeability and OMPs. CONCLUSION: Our results indicated that P. aeruginosa resistant to tachyplesin I was mainly related to reduced entry of tachyplesin I into the bacterial cell due to overexpression of efflux pump, in addition to a decrease of outer membrane permeability. Our findings were also validated by pathway enrichment analysis and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). This study may provide a promising guidance for understanding the resistance mechanism of P. aeruginosa to tachyplesin I.202032021330
3618100.9990The role of the qacA gene in mediating resistance to quaternary ammonium compounds. Conditions facilitating resistance to quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) were investigated in Staphylococcus aureus SK982 exposed to benzalkonium chloride (BAC; a member of QACs) under various circumstances. S. aureus SK982 carrying the qacA gene encoding for resistance to QACs was grown in the presence of stable or gradually increasing concentrations of BAC, or it was exposed to this antiseptic in the exponential phase of growth. Bacteria cultivated in the highest BAC concentrations that did not retard their growth comparing to the untreated control were subjected to real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis for relative expression of the efflux genes qacA and norA. Under such conditions, S. aureus SK982 tolerated a relatively low stable concentration of BAC (1.22 mg/L) when compared with a gradually increasing antiseptic concentration (tolerance of 4.88 mg/L). However, in both cases, qacA expression was not significant. The culture exposed in the exponential phase of growth tolerated the highest concentration of BAC (9.76 mg/L) as also accompanied by significant overexpression of qacA. Expression of norA was relatively low regardless of the conditions tested. It seems that under the short-term conditions, the phase of bacterial growth is more important for the expression of BAC resistance than the capability to adapt to this antiseptic. This study provides a deeper insight into the relevance of the qac genes in conferring resistance to QACs.201323256651
9036110.9989Resistance-nodulation-division efflux pump acrAB is modulated by florfenicol and contributes to drug resistance in the fish pathogen Piscirickettsia salmonis. Piscirickettsia salmonis is a fastidious intracellular pathogen responsible for high mortality rates in farmed salmonids, with serious economic consequences for the Chilean aquaculture industry. Oxytetracycline and florfenicol are the most frequently used antibiotics against P. salmonis, but routine use could contribute to drug resistance. This study identified differentiated florfenicol susceptibilities in two P. salmonis strains, LF-89 and AUSTRAL-005. The less susceptible isolate, AUSTRAL-005, also showed a high ethidium bromide efflux rate, indicating a higher activity of general efflux pump genes than LF-89. The P. salmonis genome presented resistance nodulation division (RND) family members, a family containing typical multidrug resistance-related efflux pumps in Gram-negative bacteria. Additionally, efflux pump acrAB genes were overexpressed in AUSTRAL-005 following exposure to the tolerated maximal concentration of florfenicol, in contrast to LF-89. These results indicate that tolerated maximum concentrations of florfenicol can modulate RND gene expression and increase efflux pump activity. We propose that the acrAB efflux pump is essential for P. salmonis survival at critical florfenicol concentrations and for the generation of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains.201627190287
8908120.9989Characterization and Transcriptome Analysis of Acinetobacter baumannii Persister Cells. Acinetobacter baumannii is a nonfermenting Gram-negative bacillus. A. baumannii resistance is a significant obstacle to clinical infection treatment. The existence of persister cells (persisters) might represent the reason for therapy failure and relapse, and such cells may be the driving force behind rising resistance rates. In this study, A. baumannii ATCC 19606 was used as a target to explore the essential features of A. baumannii persisters. Antibiotic treatment of A. baumannii cultures at 50-fold the minimum inhibitory concentration resulted in a distinct plateau of surviving drug-tolerant persisters. The sensitive bacteria were lysed with ceftazidime, and the nonreplicating bacteria were isolated for transcriptome analysis using RNA sequencing. We analyzed the transcriptome of A. baumannii persisters and identified significantly differentially expressed genes, as well as their enriched pathways. The results showed that both the GP49 (HigB)/Cro (HigA) and DUF1044/RelB toxin/antitoxin systems were significantly increased during the persister incubation period. In addition, the activities of certain metabolic pathways (such as electron transport, adenosine triphosphate [ATP], and the citrate cycle) decreased sharply after antibiotic treatment and remained low during the persister period, while aromatic compound degradation genes were only upregulated in persisters. These results suggest the involvement of aromatic compound degradation genes in persister formation and maintenance. They further provide the first insight into the mechanism of persister formation in A. baumannii.201829902105
4705130.9989Upregulation of outer membrane porin gene ompC contributed to enhancement of azithromycin susceptibility in multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli. The outer membrane (OM) in gram-negative bacteria contains proteins that regulate the passive or active uptake of small molecules for growth and cell function, as well as mediate the emergence of antibiotic resistance. This study aims to explore the potential mechanisms for restoring bacteria to azithromycin susceptibility based on transcriptome analysis of bacterial membrane-related genes. Transcriptome sequencing was performed by treating multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli T28R with azithromycin or in combination with colistin and confirmed by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). Azithromycin enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test, ompC gene overexpression, and molecular docking were utilized to conduct the confirmatory research of the potential mechanisms. We found that colistin combined with azithromycin led to 48 differentially expressed genes, compared to azithromycin alone, such as downregulation of tolA, eptB, lpxP, and opgE and upregulation of ompC gene. Interestingly, the addition of colistin to azithromycin differentially downregulated the mph(A) gene mediating azithromycin resistance, facilitating the intracellular accumulation of azithromycin. Also, overexpression of the ompC elevated azithromycin susceptibility, and colistin contributed to further suppression of the Mph(A) activity in the presence of azithromycin. These findings suggested that colistin firstly enhanced the permeability of bacterial OM, causing intracellular drug accumulation, and then had a repressive effect on the Mph(A) activity along with azithromycin. Our study provides a novel perspective that the improvement of azithromycin susceptibility is related not only to the downregulation of the mph(A) gene and conformational remodeling of the Mph(A) protein but also the upregulation of the membrane porin gene ompC.IMPORTANCEUsually, active efflux via efflux pumps is an important mechanism of antimicrobial resistance, such as the AcrAB-TolC complex and MdtEF. Also, bacterial porins exhibited a substantial fraction of the total number of outer membrane proteins in Enterobacteriaceae, which are involved in mediating the development of the resistance. We found that the upregulation or overexpression of the ompC gene contributed to the enhancement of resistant bacteria to azithromycin susceptibility, probably due to the augment of drug uptakes caused and the opportunity of Mph(A) function suppressed by azithromycin with colistin. Under the combination of colistin and azithromycin treatment, OmpC exhibited an increased selectivity for cationic molecules and played a key role in the restoral of the antibiotic susceptibility. Investigations on the regulation of porin expression that mediated drug resistance would be important in clinical isolates treated with antibiotics.202438441474
9045140.9989Development of Resistance in Escherichia coli ATCC25922 under Exposure of Sub-Inhibitory Concentration of Olaquindox. Quinoxaline1,4-di-N-oxides (QdNOs) are a class of important antibacterial drugs of veterinary use, of which the drug resistance mechanism has not yet been clearly explained. This study investigated the molecular mechanism of development of resistance in Escherichia coli (E. coli) under the pressure of sub-inhibitory concentration (sub-MIC) of olaquindox (OLA), a representative QdNOs drug. In vitro challenge of E. coli with 1/100× MIC to 1/2× MIC of OLA showed that the bacteria needed a longer time to develop resistance and could only achieve low to moderate levels of resistance as well as form weak biofilms. The transcriptomic and genomic profiles of the resistant E. coli induced by sub-MIC of OLA demonstrated that genes involved in tricarboxylic acid cycle, oxidation-reduction process, biofilm formation, and efflux pumps were up-regulated, while genes involved in DNA repair and outer membrane porin were down-regulated. Mutation rates were significantly increased in the sub-MIC OLA-treated bacteria and the mutated genes were mainly involved in the oxidation-reduction process, DNA repair, and replication. The SNPs were found in degQ, ks71A, vgrG, bigA, cusA, and DR76(-)4702 genes, which were covered in both transcriptomic and genomic profiles. This study provides new insights into the resistance mechanism of QdNOs and increases the current data pertaining to the development of bacterial resistance under the stress of antibacterials at sub-MIC concentrations.202033182563
6375150.9989Role of ppGpp-regulated efflux genes in Acinetobacter baumannii. OBJECTIVES: Treatment of infections caused by Acinetobacter baumannii nosocomial strains has become increasingly problematic owing to their resistance to antibiotics. ppGpp is a secondary messenger involved in growth control and various stress responses in bacteria. The mechanism for inhibition of antibiotic resistance via ppGpp is still unidentified in various pathogenic bacteria including A. baumannii. Here, we investigated the effects of ppGpp on efflux pump (EP)-related genes in A. baumannii. METHODS: ppGpp-deficient and -complementary strains were constructed by conjugation and we confirmed (p)ppGpp measurements by thin-layer chromatography. We observed that the ppGpp-deficient strain (ΔA1S_0579) showed abnormal stretching patterns by transmission electron microscopy analysis. The MICs of antimicrobial agents for the WT A. baumannii (ATCC 17978), ppGpp-deficient and complementary strains were determined by the Etest and broth dilution assay methods. The expression levels of EP-related genes were determined by quantitative RT-PCR. RESULTS: We observed morphological differences between a ppGpp-deficient strain (ΔA1S_0579) and the WT strain. Dramatic reductions of MICs in the ppGpp-deficient strain compared with the WT were observed for gentamicin (2.6-fold), tetracycline (3.9-fold), erythromycin (4-fold) and trimethoprim (>4-fold). Expression of the EP-related genes abeB (2.8-fold), tet(A) (2.3-fold), adeB (10.0-fold), adeI (9.9-fold), adeJ (11.8-fold) and adeK (14.4-fold) was also decreased in the ppGpp-deficient strain. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that ppGpp regulates EP-related gene expression in A. baumannii, affecting antibiotic susceptibility. To date, treatment for MDR A. baumannii has had no new antimicrobial agents, so the A1S_0579 gene could be a novel therapeutic target for rational drug design by affecting ppGpp production.202032049284
6295160.9989Anaerobiosis and Mutations Can Reduce Susceptibility of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to Tobramycin Without Reducing the Cellular Concentration of the Antibiotic. Chronic infections of Pseudomonas aeruginosa are commonly treated with tobramycin. During infections, the bacteria can exist under conditions of oxygen deprivation that render them less susceptible to this antibiotic. The aims of this research were to investigate the genetic basis of tobramycin resistance under anaerobic conditions, and to investigate the effects of anaerobiosis and mutations on the cellular concentration of tobramycin. Ten mutants with lowered susceptibility to tobramycin than wild-type bacteria were evolved from a laboratory reference strain under anaerobic conditions. Mutations were identified by genome sequencing. Mutations had arisen most frequently in the fusA1 gene that encodes elongation factor EF-G1A and in genes involved in twitching motility. Cellular concentrations of tobramycin were then measured. Mutations in fusA1 or absence of the MexXY efflux pump that is associated with tobramycin resistance did not alter the cellular tobramycin concentration under either anaerobic or aerobic conditions. Anaerobic growth reduced the cellular concentration of tobramycin, relative to aerobically grown bacteria, in some but not all of five tested P. aeruginosa isolates. Overall, our findings indicate that anaerobiosis and mutations that reduce aminoglycoside effectiveness do not lower the cellular concentration of antibiotic but instead reduce susceptibility through other mechanisms.202540005562
6186170.9989A triclosan-ciprofloxacin cross-resistant mutant strain of Staphylococcus aureus displays an alteration in the expression of several cell membrane structural and functional genes. Triclosan is an antimicrobial agent found in many consumer products. Triclosan inhibits the bacterial fatty acid biosynthetic enzyme, enoyl-ACP reductase (FabI). Decreased susceptibility to triclosan correlates with ciprofloxacin resistance in several bacteria. In these bacteria, resistance to both drugs maps to genes encoding multi-drug efflux pumps. The focus of this study was to determine whether triclosan resistance contributes to ciprofloxacin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus. In S. aureus, triclosan resistance maps to a fabI homolog and ciprofloxacin resistance maps to genes encoding DNA gyrase, topoisomerase IV and to the multi-drug efflux pump, NorA. Using a norA overexpressing mutant, we demonstrated that upregulation of NorA does not lead to triclosan resistance. To further investigate triclosan/ciprofloxacin resistance in S. aureus, we isolated triclosan/ciprofloxacin-resistant mutants. The mutants were screened for mutations in the genes encoding the targets of triclosan and ciprofloxacin. One mutant, JJ5, was wild-type for all sequences analyzed. We next monitored the efflux of triclosan from JJ5 and determined that triclosan resistance in the mutant was not due to active efflux of the drug. Finally, gene expression profiling demonstrated that an alteration in cell membrane structural and functional gene expression is likely responsible for triclosan and ciprofloxacin resistance in JJ5.200717997080
6291180.9989Adaptive Resistance of Staphylococcus aureus to Cefquinome Sulfate in an In Vitro Pharmacokinetic Model with Transcriptomic Insights. Cefquinome sulfate has a strong killing effect against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), but bacterial resistance has become increasingly widespread. Experiments were conducted to investigate the pattern of adaptive resistance of S. aureus to cefquinome sulfate under different dosage regimens by using pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamics (PK-PD) modeling, and the adaptive-resistant bacteria in different states were screened and subjected to transcriptomic sequencing. The results showed that the minimum inhibitory concentration of Staphylococcus aureus under the action of cefquinome sulfate was 0.5 μg/mL, the anti-mutation concentration was 1.6 μg/mL, and the mutation selection window range was 0.5~1.6 μg/mL. In the in vitro pharmacokinetic model to simulate different dosing regimens in the animal body, there are certain rules for the emergence of adaptive drug-resistant bacteria: the intensity of bacterial resistance gradually increased with culture time, and the order of emergence was tolerant bacteria (TO) followed by persistent bacteria (PE) and finally resistant bacteria (RE). The sequence reflected the evolution of adaptive drug resistance. Transcriptome Gene Ontology (GO) analysis revealed that differentially expressed genes were involved in cellular respiration, energy derivation by oxidation of organic compounds, and oxidation-reduction processes. The differentially expressed genes identified functioned in the synthesis of cell membranes, cytoplasm, and intracellular parts. A Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis found that 65 genes were differentially expressed after cefquinome sulfate treatment, of which 35 genes were significantly upregulated and 30 genes were significantly downregulated. Five genes, sdhB, sdhA, pdhA, lpdA, and sucC, may be involved in network regulation. This study revealed the cross-regulation of multiple metabolic pathway networks and the targets of network regulation of S. aureus to produce adaptive drug resistance. The results will provide guidance for clinical drug use in animals infected with S. aureus.202540005696
8889190.9989Differences in Gene Expression Profiles between Early and Late Isolates in Monospecies Achromobacter Biofilm. Bacteria of genus Achromobacter are emerging pathogens in cystic fibrosis (CF) capable of biofilm formation and development of antimicrobial resistance. Evolutionary adaptions in the transition from primary to chronic infection were assessed by transcriptomic analysis of successive isolates of Achromobacter xylosoxidans from a single CF patient. Several efflux pump systems targeting antimicrobial agents were upregulated during the course of the disease, whereas all genes related to motility were downregulated. Genes annotated to subsystems of sulfur metabolism, protein metabolism and potassium metabolism exhibited the strongest upregulation. K+ channel genes were hyperexpressed, and a putative sulfite oxidase was more than 1500 times upregulated. The transcriptome patterns indicated a pivotal role of sulfur metabolism and electrical signalling in Achromobacter biofilms during late stage CF lung disease.201728534862