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618900.9348Characterization of all RND-type multidrug efflux transporters in Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Resistance nodulation cell division (RND)-type efflux transporters play the main role in intrinsic resistance to various antimicrobial agents in many gram-negative bacteria. Here, we estimated 12 RND-type efflux transporter genes in Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Because VmeAB has already been characterized, we cloned the other 11 RND-type efflux transporter genes and characterized them in Escherichia coli KAM33 cells, a drug hypersusceptible strain. KAM33 expressing either VmeCD, VmeEF, or VmeYZ showed increased minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for several antimicrobial agents. Additional four RND-type transporters were functional as efflux pumps only when co-expressed with VpoC, an outer membrane component in V. parahaemolyticus. Furthermore, VmeCD, VmeEF, and VmeYZ co-expressed with VpoC exhibited a broader substrate specificity and conferred higher resistance than that with TolC of E. coli. Deletion mutants of these transporter genes were constructed in V. parahaemolyticus. TM32 (ΔvmeAB and ΔvmeCD) had significantly decreased MICs for many antimicrobial agents and the number of viable cells after exposure to deoxycholate were markedly reduced. Strains in which 12 operons were all disrupted had very low MICs and much lower fluid accumulation in rabbit ileal loops. These results indicate that resistance nodulation cell division-type efflux transporters contribute not only to intrinsic resistance but also to exerting the virulence of V. parahaemolyticus.201323894076
10210.9338Paradoxical behaviour of pKM101; inhibition of uvr-independent crosslink repair in Escherichia coli by muc gene products. In strains of Escherichia coli deficient in excision repair (uvrA or uvrB), plasmid pKM101 muc+ but not pGW219 mucB::Tn5 enhanced resistance to angelicin monoadducts but reduced resistance to 8-methoxy-psoralen interstrand DNA crosslinks. Thermally induced recA-441 (= tif-1) bacteria showed an additional resistance to crosslinks that was blocked by pKM101. Plasmid-borne muc+ genes also conferred some additional sensitivity to gamma-radiation and it is suggested that a repair step susceptible to inhibition by muc+ gene products and possibly involving double-strand breaks may be involved after both ionizing radiation damage and psoralen crosslinks.19853883148
21120.9336Preclinical pharmacology of GAR-936, a novel glycylcycline antibacterial agent. GAR-936 is an analog of minocycline, a semisynthetic derivative of tetracycline. It has broad-spectrum antibacterial activity in vitro and in vivo. The new class of tetracyclines to which GAR-936 belongs is named the glycylcyclines. Tetracyclines act by inhibiting protein translation in bacteria, presumably by binding to the 30S ribosomal subunit and blocking entry of amino-acyl transfer RNA molecules into the A site of the ribosome. This prevents incorporation of amino acid residues into elongating peptide chains. In general, tetracyclines are considered bacteriostatic and the critical therapeutic parameter is the area under the concentration-time curve. GAR-936 has bactericidal activity; at 4 times the minimum inhibitory concentration, a 2- to 3-log reduction in colony counts was seen against Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Haemophilus influenzae, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus. GAR-936 is active against the antibiotic-resistant gram-positive bacteria methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, penicillin-resistant S. pneumoniae, and vancomycin-resistant enterococci. It is most significant that GAR-936 and other glycylcyclines are active against bacterial strains carrying either or both of the two major forms of tetracycline resistance: efflux and ribosomal protection. Using isogenic panels of bacteria carrying various tetracycline-resistance determinants, a series of more than 300 analogs was tested for antibacterial activity, which allowed for structure-activity relationships to be determined. Results indicated that certain substituents at the 9 position of the tetracycline molecule restored activity against bacteria harboring genes encoding either or both efflux and ribosomal protection. A single chemical modification overcame the two molecularly distinct forms of resistance while maintaining activity against susceptible gram-positive, gram-negative, aerobic, and anaerobic bacteria. Although mutants can be generated that are less susceptible to previously studied glycylcyclines, only marginal differences in susceptibility to GAR-936 were noted. Therefore, whereas emergence of resistance to any widely administered antibiotic is a foregone conclusion, resistance to GAR-936 will not readily arise by trivial mutations in existing resistance genes.200011001329
61730.9335Lytic action of cloned pneumococcal phage lysis genes in Streptococcus pneumoniae. The genes hbl3, cpl1 and cpl7 coding for the pneumococcal phage lytic enzymes HBL3, CPL1 and CPL7, respectively, have been cloned into shuttle plasmids that can replicate in Streptococcus pneumoniae and Escherichia coli. All these genes were expressed in E. coli under the control of either the lytP promoter of the lytA gene, which codes for the major pneumococcal autolysin, or the promoter of the tetracycline-resistance gene (tetP). In contrast, cpl1 and cpl7 genes that code for lysozymes were expressed in pneumococcus only under the control of tetP, whereas the hbl3 gene that codes for an amidase can be expressed using either promoter. The phage lysozymes or amidase expressed in S. pneumoniae M31, a mutant deleted in the lytA gene coding for short chains, were placed under physiological control since these transformed bacteria grew as normal 'diplo' cells during the exponential phase and underwent autolysis only after long incubation at 37 degrees C. The lysis genes appear to be expressed constitutively in the transformed pneumococci, since sharply defined lysis of these cultures could be induced prematurely during the exponential phase of growth by addition of sodium deoxycholate.19938472929
53840.9321The biochemical and genetic basis for high frequency thiomethyl galactoside resistance in lambda,lambdadg lysogens of Escherichia coli. In a culture of Escherichia coli K12 gal (lambdadg), cells which form large colonies on agar plates containing galactose and thiomethyl beta-D-galactoside (TMG) appear at high frequency. These clones are resistant to growth inhibition by TMG on galactose minimal medium. Biochemical studies of the steady-state levels of galactokinase and UDPgalactose 4-epimerase suggest that the resistant clones have extra copies of the genes for the galactose-metabolizing enzymes. The mutation for TMG resistance is not located in either the bacterial or the bacteriophage genome, but is probably due to an aberrant association between cell and prophage DNA. Mapping the TMG-resistant characteristic by phage P1 indicates that TMG-resistant bacteria posses at least two GAL+ OPERONS, ONE OF WHICH IS COTRANSDUCIBLe with bio+. In addition, TMG-resistant bacteria behave like lambdadg polylysogens when challenged with the phage lambdaI90c17. From these genetic experiments we conclude that TMG-resistant bacteria arise by duplication of the lambdadg prophage. Finally, gal+ bacteria which carry a single, additional, lambdadg prophage are TMG-resistant. TMG resistance is probably a gal+ gene dosage effect.1978344832
11250.9316Glycopeptide resistance determinants from the teicoplanin producer Actinoplanes teichomyceticus. In enterococci and other pathogenic bacteria, high-level resistance to vancomycin and other glycopeptide antibiotics requires the action of the van genes, which direct the synthesis of peptidoglycan terminating in the depsipeptide D-alanyl-D-lactate, in place of the usual D-Ala-D-Ala. The Actinoplanes teichomyceticus tcp cluster, devoted to the biosynthesis of the glycopeptide antibiotic teicoplanin, contains van genes associated to a murF-like sequence (murF2). We show that A. teichomyceticus contains also a house-keeping murF1 gene, capable of complementing a temperature sensitive Escherichia coli murF mutant. MurF1, expressed in Streptomyces lividans, can catalyze the addition of either D-Ala-D-Ala or D-Ala-D-Lac to the UDP-N-acetyl-muramyl-L-Ala-D-Glu-d-Lys. However, similarly expressed MurF2 shows a small enzymatic activity only with D-Ala-D-lactate. Introduction of a single copy of the entire set of van genes confers resistance to teicoplanin-type glycopeptides to S. coelicolor.200415500981
160.9313Constructs for insertional mutagenesis, transcriptional signal localization and gene regulation studies in root nodule and other bacteria. Cassettes have been developed that contain an antibiotic resistance marker with and without a promoterless gusA reporter gene. The nptII (encoding kanamycin resistance) or aacCI (encoding gentamicin resistance) genes were equipped with the tac promoter (Ptac) and the trpA terminator (TtrpA) and then cloned between NotI sites to construct the CAS-Nm (Ptac-nptII-TtrpA) and CAS-Gm (Ptac/PaacCI-aacCI-TtrpA) cassettes. The markers were also cloned downstream to a modified promoterless Escherichia coli gusA gene (containing TGA stop codons in all three reading frames prior to its RBS and start codon) to construct the CAS-GNm (gusA-Ptac-nptII-TtrpA) or CAS-GGm (gusA-Ptac/PaacCI-aacCI-TtrpA) cassettes. Cassettes containing the promoterless gusA create type I fusions with a target DNA sequence to detect transcriptional activity. The promoterless gusA gene has also been cloned into a broad-host-range IncP1 plasmid. This construct will enable transcriptional activity to be monitored in different genetic backgrounds. Each cassette was cloned as a NotI fragment into the NotI site of a pUT derivative to construct four minitransposons. The mTn5-Nm (containing Ptac-nptII-TtrpA) and mTn5-Gm (containing Ptac/PaacCI-aacCI-TtrpA) minitransposons have been constructed specifically for insertional inactivation studies. The minitransposons mTn5-GNm (containing gusA-Ptac-nptII-TtrpA) and mTn5-GGm (containing gusA-Ptac/PaacCI-aacCI-TtrpA) can be used for transcription signal localization or insertional inactivation. The TAC-31R and TAC-105F primers can be used to sequence DNA flanking both sides of CAS-Nm, CAS-Gm, mTn5-Nm and mTn5-Gm. The WIL3 and TAC-105F primers can be used to sequence DNA flanking both sides of CAS-GNm, CAS-GGm, mTn5-GNm and mTn5-GGm. The specific application of these constructs to generate acid- or nodule-inducible fusions is presented. The new constructs provide useful tools for insertional mutagenesis, transcriptional signal localization and gene regulation studies in the root nodule bacteria and possibly other gram-negative bacteria.199910411257
618570.9312Effects of efflux transporter genes on susceptibility of Escherichia coli to tigecycline (GAR-936). The activity of tigecycline, 9-(t-butylglycylamido)-minocycline, against Escherichia coli KAM3 (acrB) strains harboring plasmids encoding various tetracycline-specific efflux transporter genes, tet(B), tet(C), and tet(K), and multidrug transporter genes, acrAB, acrEF, and bcr, was examined. Tigecycline showed potent activity against all three Tet-expressing, tetracycline-resistant strains, with the MICs for the strains being equal to that for the host strain. In the Tet(B)-containing vesicle study, tigecycline did not significantly inhibit tetracycline efflux-coupled proton translocation and at 10 microM did not cause proton translocation. This suggests that tigecycline is not recognized by the Tet efflux transporter at a low concentration; therefore, it exhibits significant antibacterial activity. These properties can explain its potent activity against bacteria with a Tet efflux resistance determinant. Tigecycline induced the Tet(B) protein approximately four times more efficiently than tetracycline, as determined by Western blotting, indicating that it is at least recognized by a TetR repressor. The MICs for multidrug efflux proteins AcrAB and AcrEF were increased fourfold. Tigecycline inhibited active ethidium bromide efflux from intact E. coli cells overproducing AcrAB. Therefore, tigecycline is a possible substrate of AcrAB and its close homolog, AcrEF, which are resistance-modulation-division-type multicomponent efflux transporters.200415155219
53780.9309Omegon-Km: a transposable element designed for in vivo insertional mutagenesis and cloning of genes in gram-negative bacteria. To combine the features of the omega interposons with the advantages of in vivo transposition mutagenesis, we have constructed an artificial transposon, called Omegon-Km. The Omegon-Km transposon is carried on the plasmid pJFF350 which can be conjugally mobilized into a broad range of Gram-negative bacteria. Omegon-Km is flanked, in inverted orientation, by synthetic 28-bp repeats derived from the ends of IS1. In addition, each end of Omegon-Km has the very efficient transcription and translation terminators of the omega interposon. Internally, Omegon-Km carries the selectable kanamycin (Km)-neomycin resistance gene (alph A) which is expressed well in many Gram-negative bacteria. The IS1 transposition functions are located on the donor plasmid but external to Omegon-Km. Thus, insertions of Omegon-Km are very stable because they lack the capacity for further transposition. Omegon-Km mutagenesis is performed by conjugal transfer of pJFF350 from Escherichia coli into any Gram-negative recipient strain in which this plasmid is unable to replicate. Those cells which have had a transposition event are selected by their resistance to Km. Very high frequencies of Omegon-Km transposition were observed in Pseudomonas putida. Preliminary experiments with other Gram-negative soil and water bacteria (Rhizobium leguminosarum, Paracoccus denitrificans) yielded mutants at reasonable levels. The presence of an E. coli-specific origin of replication (ori) within Omegon-Km allows the rapid and easy cloning, in E. coli, of the nucleotide sequences flanking the site of the transposition event.19892546859
52090.9308Respiratory chain components are required for peptidoglycan recognition protein-induced thiol depletion and killing in Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli. Mammalian peptidoglycan recognition proteins (PGRPs or PGLYRPs) kill bacteria through induction of synergistic oxidative, thiol, and metal stress. Tn-seq screening of Bacillus subtilis transposon insertion library revealed that mutants in the shikimate pathway of chorismate synthesis had high survival following PGLYRP4 treatment. Deletion mutants for these genes had decreased amounts of menaquinone (MK), increased resistance to killing, and attenuated depletion of thiols following PGLYRP4 treatment. These effects were reversed by MK or reproduced by inhibiting MK synthesis. Deletion of cytochrome aa(3)-600 or NADH dehydrogenase (NDH) genes also increased B. subtilis resistance to PGLYRP4-induced killing and attenuated thiol depletion. PGLYRP4 treatment also inhibited B. subtilis respiration. Similarly in Escherichia coli, deletion of ubiquinone (UQ) synthesis, formate dehydrogenases (FDH), NDH-1, or cytochrome bd-I genes attenuated PGLYRP4-induced thiol depletion. PGLYRP4-induced low level of cytoplasmic membrane depolarization in B. subtilis and E. coli was likely not responsible for thiol depletion. Thus, our results show that the respiratory electron transport chain components, cytochrome aa(3)-600, MK, and NDH in B. subtilis, and cytochrome bd-I, UQ, FDH-O, and NDH-1 in E. coli, are required for both PGLYRP4-induced killing and thiol depletion and indicate conservation of the PGLYRP4-induced thiol depletion and killing mechanisms in Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.202133420211
407100.9308Molecular cloning and characterization of two lincomycin-resistance genes, lmrA and lmrB, from Streptomyces lincolnensis 78-11. Two different lincomycin-resistance determinants (lmrA and lmrB) from Streptomyces lincolnensis 78-11 were cloned in Streptomyces lividans 66 TK23. The gene lmrA was localized on a 2.16 kb fragment, the determined nucleotide sequence of which encoded a single open reading frame 1446 bp long. Analysis of the deduced amino acid sequence suggested the presence of 12 membrane-spanning domains and showed significant similarities to the methylenomycin-resistance protein (Mmr) from Streptomyces coelicolor, the QacA protein from Staphylococcus aureus, and several tetracycline-resistance proteins from both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, as well as to some sugar-transport proteins from Escherichia coli. The lmrB gene was actively expressed from a 2.7 kb fragment. An open reading frame of 837 bp could be localized which encoded a protein that was significantly similar to 23S rRNA adenine(2058)-N-methyltransferases conferring macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin resistance. LmrB also had putative rRNA methyltransferase activity since lincomycin resistance of ribosomes was induced in lmrB-containing strains. Surprisingly, both enzymes, LmrA and LmrB, had a substrate specificity restricted to lincomycin and did not cause resistance to other lincosamides such as celesticetin and clindamycin, or to macrolides.19921328813
335110.9303Construction and characterization of a replication-competent retroviral shuttle vector plasmid. We constructed two versions of an RCASBP-based retroviral shuttle vector, RSVP (RCASBP shuttle vector plasmid), containing either the zeocin or blasticidin resistance gene. In this vector, the drug resistance gene is expressed in avian cells from the long terminal repeat (LTR) promoter, whereas in bacteria the resistance gene is expressed from a bacterial promoter. The vector contains a bacterial origin of replication (ColE1) to allow circular viral DNA to replicate as a plasmid in bacteria. The vector also contains the lac operator sequence, which binds to the lac repressor protein, providing a simple and rapid way to purify the vector DNA. The RSVP plasmid contains the following sequence starting with the 5" end: LTR, gag, pol, env, drug resistance gene, lac operator, ColE1, LTR. After this plasmid was transfected into DF-1 cells, we were able to rescue the circularized unintegrated viral DNA from RSVP simply by transforming the Hirt DNA into Escherichia coli. Furthermore, we were able to rescue the integrated provirus. DNA from infected cells was digested with an appropriate restriction enzyme (ClaI) and the vector-containing segments were enriched using lac repressor protein and then self-ligated. These enriched fractions were used to transform E. coli. The transformation was successful and we did recover integration sites, but higher-efficiency rescue was obtained with electroporation. The vector is relatively stable upon passage in avian cells. Southern blot analyses of genomic DNAs derived from successive viral passages under nonselective conditions showed that the cassette (drug resistance gene-lac operator-ColE1) insert was present in the vector up to the third viral passage for both resistance genes, which suggests that the RSVP vectors are stable for approximately three viral passages. Together, these results showed that RSVP vectors are useful tools for cloning unintegrated or integrated viral DNAs.200211799171
591120.9303Muramyl Endopeptidase Spr Contributes to Intrinsic Vancomycin Resistance in Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium. The impermeability barrier provided by the outer membrane of enteric bacteria, a feature lacking in Gram-positive bacteria, plays a major role in maintaining resistance to numerous antimicrobial compounds and antibiotics. Here we demonstrate that mutational inactivation of spr, coding for a muramyl endopeptidase, significantly sensitizes Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium to vancomycin without any accompanying apparent growth defect or outer membrane destabilization. A similar phenotype was not achieved by deleting the genes coding for muramyl endopeptidases MepA, PbpG, NlpC, YedA, or YhdO. The spr mutant showed increased autolytic behavior in response to not only vancomycin, but also to penicillin G, an antibiotic for which the mutant displayed a wild-type MIC. A screen for suppressor mutations of the spr mutant phenotype revealed that deletion of tsp (prc), encoding a periplasmic carboxypeptidase involved in processing Spr and PBP3, restored intrinsic resistance to vancomycin and reversed the autolytic phenotype of the spr mutant. Our data suggest that Spr contributes to intrinsic antibiotic resistance in S. Typhimurium without directly affecting the outer membrane permeability barrier. Furthermore, our data suggests that compounds targeting specific cell wall endopeptidases might have the potential to expand the activity spectrum of traditional Gram-positive antibiotics.201830619108
8746130.9301Enhanced Resistance to Fungal and Bacterial Diseases Due to Overexpression of BSR1, a Rice RLCK, in Sugarcane, Tomato, and Torenia. Sugarcane smut caused by Sporisorium scitamineum is one of the most devastating sugarcane diseases. Furthermore, Rhizoctonia solani causes severe diseases in various crops including rice, tomato, potato, sugar beet, tobacco, and torenia. However, effective disease-resistant genes against these pathogens have not been identified in target crops. Therefore, the transgenic approach can be used since conventional cross-breeding is not applicable. Herein, the overexpression of BROAD-SPECTRUM RESISTANCE 1 (BSR1), a rice receptor-like cytoplasmic kinase, was conducted in sugarcane, tomato and torenia. BSR1-overexpressing tomatoes exhibited resistance to the bacteria Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 and the fungus R. solani, whereas BSR1-overexpressing torenia showed resistance to R. solani in the growth room. Additionally, BSR1 overexpression conferred resistance to sugarcane smut in the greenhouse. These three BSR1-overexpressing crops exhibited normal growth and morphologies except in the case of exceedingly high levels of overexpression. These results indicate that BSR1 overexpression is a simple and effective tool for conferring broad-spectrum disease resistance to many crops.202336835053
345140.9301Genetic redundancy, proximity, and functionality of lspA, the target of antibiotic TA, in the Myxococcus xanthus producer strain. We recently showed that type II signal peptidase (SPaseII) encoded by lspA is the target of an antibiotic called TA (myxovirescin), which is made by Myxococcus xanthus. SPaseII cleaves the signal peptide during bacterial lipoprotein processing. Bacteria typically contain one lspA gene; however, strikingly, the M. xanthus DK1622 genome contains four (lspA1 to lspA4). Since two of these genes, lspA3 and lspA4, are located in the giant TA biosynthetic gene cluster, we hypothesized they may play a role in TA resistance. To investigate the functions of the four M. xanthus lspA (lspA(Mx)) genes, we conducted sequence comparisons and found that they contained nearly all the conserved residues characteristic of SPaseII family members. Genetic studies found that an Escherichia coli ΔlspA mutation could be complemented by any of the lspA(Mx) genes in an lpp mutant background, but not in an E. coli lpp(+) background. Because Lpp is the most abundant E. coli lipoprotein, these results suggest the M. xanthus proteins do not function as efficiently as the host enzyme. In E. coli, overexpression of each of the LspA(Mx) proteins conferred TA and globomycin resistance, although LspA3 conferred the highest degree of resistance. In M. xanthus, each lspA(Mx) gene could be deleted and was therefore dispensable for growth. However, lspA3 or lspA4 deletion mutants each exhibited a tan phase variation bias, which likely accounts for their reduced-swarming and delayed-development phenotypes. In summary, we propose that all four LspA(Mx) proteins function as SPaseIIs and that LspA3 and LspA4 might also have roles in TA resistance and regulation, respectively.201424391051
6199150.9301A bacterial gene homologous to ABC transporters protect Oenococcus oeni from ethanol and other stress factors in wine. The wine lactic acid bacteria Oenococcus oeni has to cope with harsh environmental conditions including an acidic pH, a high alcoholic content, non-optimal growth temperatures, and growth inhibitory compounds such as fatty acids, phenolic acids and tannins. We here describe characterisation and cloning of the O. oeni omrA gene encoding a protein belonging to the ATP-binding cassette superfamily of transporters. The OmrA protein displays the highest sequence similarity with the subfamily of ATP-dependent multidrug resistance (MDR) proteins, most notably the bacterial Lactococcus lactis LmrA homologue of the human MDR1 P-glycoprotein. The omrA gene proved to be a stress-responsive gene since its expression was increased at high temperature or under osmotic shock. The OmrA protein function was tested in Escherichia coli, and consistent with the omrA gene expression pattern, OmrA conferred protection to bacteria grown on a high salt medium. OmrA also triggered bacterial resistance to sodium laurate, wine and ethanol toxicity. The homologous LmrA protein featured the same stress-protective pattern than OmrA when expressed in E. coli, and the contribution to resistance of both OmrA and LmrA transporters was decreased by verapamil, a well-known inhibitor of the human MDR1 protein. Genes homologous to omrA were detected in other wine lactic acid bacteria, suggesting that this type of genes might constitute a well-conserved stress-protective molecular device.200415033264
562160.9300Macrolones target bacterial ribosomes and DNA gyrase and can evade resistance mechanisms. Growing resistance toward ribosome-targeting macrolide antibiotics has limited their clinical utility and urged the search for superior compounds. Macrolones are synthetic macrolide derivatives with a quinolone side chain, structurally similar to DNA topoisomerase-targeting fluoroquinolones. While macrolones show enhanced activity, their modes of action have remained unknown. Here, we present the first structures of ribosome-bound macrolones, showing that the macrolide part occupies the macrolide-binding site in the ribosomal exit tunnel, whereas the quinolone moiety establishes new interactions with the tunnel. Macrolones efficiently inhibit both the ribosome and DNA topoisomerase in vitro. However, in the cell, they target either the ribosome or DNA gyrase or concurrently both of them. In contrast to macrolide or fluoroquinolone antibiotics alone, dual-targeting macrolones are less prone to select resistant bacteria carrying target-site mutations or to activate inducible macrolide resistance genes. Furthermore, because some macrolones engage Erm-modified ribosomes, they retain activity even against strains with constitutive erm resistance genes.202439039256
6371170.9299Bioactive compounds from the African medicinal plant Cleistochlamys kirkii as resistance modifiers in bacteria. Cleistochlamys kirkii (Benth) Oliv. (Annonaceae) is a medicinal plant traditionally used in Mozambique to treat infectious diseases. The aim of this study was to find resistance modifiers in C. kirkii for Gram-positive and Gram-negative model bacterial strains. One of the most important resistance mechanisms in bacteria is the efflux pump-related multidrug resistance. Therefore, polycarpol (1), three C-benzylated flavanones (2-4), and acetylmelodorinol (5) were evaluated for their multidrug resistance-reverting activity on methicillin-susceptible and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli AG100 and AG100 A strains overexpressing and lacking the AcrAB-TolC efflux pump system. The combined effects of antibiotics and compounds (2 and 4) were also assessed by using the checkerboard microdilution method in both S. aureus strains. The relative gene expression of the efflux pump genes was determined by real-time reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The inhibition of quorum sensing was also investigated. The combined effect of the antibiotics and compound 2 or 4 on the methicillin-sensitive S. aureus resulted in synergism. The most active compounds 2 and 4 increased the expression of the efflux pump genes. These results suggested that C. kirkii constituents could be effective adjuvants in the antibiotic treatment of infections.201829464798
6195180.9298Differential gene expression analysis shows that cephalosporin resistance is intrinsic to Clostridioides difficile strain 630. Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is the most common nosocomial infection in the US. CDI has become a growing concern due to C. difficile's resistance to several antibiotics, including cephalosporins. Furthermore, patients administered cephalosporins are at higher risk of contracting CDI. Cephalosporins are β-lactam antibiotics, which prevent bacterial cell wall synthesis by inhibiting penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs). β-lactam-resistant bacteria evade these antibiotics by producing β-lactamases or by harboring low-affinity PBPs. A genomic analysis of C. difficile strain 630 identified 31 putative β-lactam resistance genes. Upon cefoxitin exposure, few C. difficile strain 630 putative antibiotic-resistant genes were overexpressed. Most notably, the β-lactamase blaCDD gene was upregulated approximately 600-fold, as previously reported. Deletion of the blaCDD locus did not change in cephalosporin susceptibility. Deletion of the second most upregulated gene, the PBP vanY, was also ineffective at decreasing cephalosporin resistance. Cefoxitin exposure of the C. difficile strain 630ΔblaCDD mutant did not increase upregulation of other putative antibiotic resistance genes compared to wildtype C. difficile strain 630. Transcriptomic analyses of wildtype C. difficile strain 630 exposed to cephradine, cefoxitin, ceftazidime, or cefepime revealed the shared upregulation of a putative heterodimeric ABC transporter encoded by loci CD630_04590 (ABC transporter ATP-binding protein) and CD630_04600 (ABC transporter permease). These genes are genomically located directly downstream of blaCDD (CD630_04580). The deletion mutant CD630_04600 remained resistant to a number of antibiotics. Thus, even though blaCDD, CD630_04590, and CD630_04600 are all upregulated when exposed to cephalosporins, they do not seem to be involved in antibiotic resistance in C. difficile strain 630.202539672901
212190.9298Spectrum of antibacterial activity and mode of action of a novel tris-stilbene bacteriostatic compound. The spectrum of activity and mode of action of a novel antibacterial agent, 135C, was investigated using a range of microbiological and genomic approaches. Compound 135C was active against Gram-positive bacteria with MICs for Staphylococcus aureus ranging from 0.12-0.5 μg/ml. It was largely inactive against Gram-negative bacteria. The compound showed bacteriostatic activity in time-kill studies and did not elicit bacterial cell leakage or cell lysis. Checkerboard assays showed no synergy or antagonism when 135C was combined with a range of other antibacterials. Multi-step serial passage of four S. aureus isolates with increasing concentrations of 135C showed that resistance developed rapidly and was stable after drug-free passages. Minor differences in the fitness of 135C-resistant strains and parent wildtypes were evident by growth curves, but 135C-resistant strains did not show cross-resistance to other antibacterial agents. Genomic comparison of resistant and wildtype parent strains showed changes in genes encoding cell wall teichoic acids. 135C shows promising activity against Gram-positive bacteria but is currently limited by the rapid resistance development. Further studies are required to investigate the effects on cell wall teichoic acids and to determine whether the issue of resistance development can be overcome.201829720673