Dataset Information

Stereochemical Trajectories of a Two-Component Regulatory System PmrA/B in a Colistin-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii Clinical Isolate.

ABSTRACT:

Background

There is limited information on the three-dimensional (3D) prediction and modeling of the colistin resistance-associated proteins PmrA/B TCS in Acinetobacter baumannii. We aimed to evaluate the stereochemical structure and domain characterization of phosphotransferase membrane receptor A/B (PmrA/B) in an A. baumannii isolate resistant to high-level colistin, using bioinformatics tools.

Methods

The species of the isolate and its susceptibility to colistin were confirmed by PCR-sequencing and minimum inhibitory concentration assay, respectively. For 3D prediction of the PmrA/B, we used 16 template models with the highest quality (e-value <1 × 10−50).

Results

Prediction of the PmrA structure revealed a monomeric non-redundant protein consisting of 28 α-helices and 22 β-sheets. The PmrA DNA-binding motif displayed three antiparallel α-helices, followed by three β-sheets, and was bond to the major groove of DNA by intermolecular van der Waals bonds through amino acids Lys, Asp, His, and Arg, respectively. Superimposition of the deduced PmrA 3D structure with the closely related PmrA protein model (GenBank no. WP_071210493.1) revealed no distortion in conformation, due to Glu→Lys substitution at position 218. Similarly, the PmrB protein structure displayed 24 α-helices and 13 β-sheets. In our case, His251 acted as a phosphate receptor in the HisKA domain. The amino acid substitutions were mainly observed at the putative N-terminus region of the protein. Furthermore, two substitutions (Lys21→Ser and Ser28→Arg) in the transmembrane domain were detected.

Conclusion

The DNA-binding motif of PmrA is highly conserved, though the N-terminal fragment of PmrB showed a high rate of base substitutions. This research provides valuable insights into the mechanism of colistin resistance in A. baumannii.

SUBMITTER: Kandehkar Ghahraman MR

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8183390 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:BackgroundWith an increase in the use of colistin methansulfonate (CMS) to treat carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii infections, colistin resistance is emerging.MethodsPatients with infection or colonization due to colistin-resistant A. baumannii were identified at a hospital system in Pennsylvania. Clinical data were collected from electronic medical records. Susceptibility testing, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) were performed. To investigate the mechanism of colistin resistance, lipid A was subjected to matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry.ResultsTwenty patients with colistin-resistant A. baumannii were identified. Ventilator-associated pneumonia was the most common type of infection. Nineteen patients had received intravenous and/or inhaled CMS for treatment of carbapenem-resistant, colistin-susceptible A. baumannii infection prior to identification of colistin-resistant isolates. The 30-day all-cause mortality rate was 30%. The treatment regimen for colistin-resistant A. baumannii infection associated with the lowest mortality rate was a combination of CMS, a carbapenem, and ampicillin-sulbactam. The colistin-susceptible and -resistant isolates from the same patients were highly related by PFGE, but isolates from different patients were not, suggesting evolution of resistance during CMS therapy. By MLST, all isolates belonged to the international clone II, the lineage that is epidemic worldwide. Phosphoethanolamine modification of lipid A was present in all colistin-resistant A. baumannii isolates.ConclusionsColistin-resistant A. baumannii occurred almost exclusively among patients who had received CMS for treatment of carbapenem-resistant, colistin-susceptible A. baumannii infection. Lipid A modification by the addition of phosphoethanolamine accounted for colistin resistance. Susceptibility testing for colistin should be considered for A. baumannii identified from CMS-experienced patients.