Project description:With the global increase in the use of carbapenems, several gram-negative bacteria have acquired carbapenem resistance, thereby limiting treatment options. Klebsiella pneumoniae is one of such notorious pathogen that is being widely studied to find novel resistance mechanisms and drug targets. These antibiotic-resistant clinical isolates generally harbor many genetic alterations, and identification of causal mutations will provide insights into the molecular mechanisms of antibiotic resistance. We propose a method to prioritize mutated genes responsible for antibiotic resistance, in which mutated genes that also show significant expression changes among their functionally coupled genes become more likely candidates. For network-based analyses, we developed a genome-scale co-functional network of K. pneumoniae genes, KlebNet (www.inetbio.org/klebnet). Using KlebNet, we could reconstruct functional modules for antibiotic-resistance, and virulence, and retrieved functional association between them. With complementation assays with top candidate genes, we could validate a gene for negative regulation of meropenem resistance and four genes for positive regulation of virulence in Galleria mellonella larvae. Therefore, our study demonstrated the feasibility of network-based identification of genes required for antimicrobial resistance and virulence of human pathogenic bacteria with genomic and transcriptomic profiles from antibiotic-resistant clinical isolates.
Project description:Incomplete antibiotic removal in pharmaceutical wastewater treatment plants (PWWTPs) could lead to the development and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARBs) and genes (ARGs) in the environment, posing a growing public health threat. In this study, two multiantibiotic-resistant bacteria, Ochrobactrum intermedium (N1) and Stenotrophomonas acidaminiphila (N2), were isolated from the sludge of a PWWTP in Guangzhou, China. The N1 strain was highly resistant to ampicillin, cefazolin, chloramphenicol, tetracycline, and norfloxacin, while the N2 strain exhibited high resistance to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, and cefazolin. Whole-genome sequencing revealed that N1 and N2 had genome sizes of 0.52 Mb and 0.37 Mb, respectively, and harbored 33 and 24 ARGs, respectively. The main resistance mechanism in the identified ARGs included efflux pumps, enzymatic degradation, and target bypass, with the N1 strain possessing more multidrug-resistant efflux pumps than the N2 strain (22 vs 12). This also accounts for the broader resistance spectrum of N1 than of N2 in antimicrobial susceptibility tests. Additionally, both genomes contain numerous mobile genetic elements (89 and 21 genes, respectively) and virulence factors (276 and 250 factors, respectively), suggesting their potential for horizontal transfer and pathogenicity. Overall, this research provides insights into the potential risks posed by ARBs in pharmaceutical wastewater and emphasizes the need for further studies on their impact and mitigation strategies.
Project description:Bacteria often evolve antibiotic resistance through mutagenesis. However, the processes causing the mutagenesis have not been fully resolved. Here we found that a broad range of ribosome-targeting antibiotics caused mutations through an underexplored pathway. Focusing on the clinically important aminoglycoside gentamicin, we found that the translation inhibitor caused genome-wide premature stalling of RNA polymerase (RNAP) in a loci-dependent manner. Further analysis showed that the stalling was caused by disruption of transcription-translation coupling. Anti-intuitively, the stalled RNAPs subsequently induced lesions to the DNA via transcription-coupled repair. While most of the bacteria were killed by genotoxicity, a small subpopulation acquired mutations via SOS-induced mutagenesis. Given that these processes were triggered shortly after antibiotic addition, resistance rapidly emerged in the population. Our work revealed a new mechanism of action of ribosomal antibiotics, illustrates the importance of dissecting the complex interplay between multiple molecular processes in understanding antibiotic efficacy, and suggests new strategies for countering the development of resistance.
2024-05-15 | GSE267245 | GEO
Project description:Antibiotic resistance genes of diverse bacteria from shrimp aquaculture
Project description:Commercial probiotic bacteria must be tested for acquired antibiotic resistance elements to avoid potential transfer to pathogens. The European Food Safety Authority recommends testing resistance using microdilution culture techniques previously used to establish inhibitory thresholds for the Bifidobacterium genus. Many Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis strains exhibit increased resistance to tetracycline, historically attributed to the ribosomal protection gene tet(W). However, some strains that harbor genetically identical tet(W) genes show various inhibition levels suggesting that other genetic elements also contribute to observed differences. Here, we adapted several molecular assays to confirm the inhibition of B. animalis subsp. lactis strains Bl-04 and HN019, and employed RNA-seq to assess the transcriptional differences related to genomic polymorphisms. We detected specific stress responses to the antibiotic by correlating ATP concentration to viable genome copies from droplet digital PCR, and found that the bacteria were still metabolically active in high drug concentrations. Transcriptional analyses revealed that several polymorphic regions, particularly a novel multi-drug efflux transporter, were differentially expressed between the strains in each experimental condition, likely having phenotypic effects. We also found that the tet(W) gene was up-regulated only during sub-inhibitory tetracycline concentrations, while two novel tetracycline resistance genes were up-regulated at high concentrations. Furthermore, many genes involved in amino acid metabolism and transporter function were up-regulated while genes for complex carbohydrate utilization, protein metabolism, and CRISPR-Cas systems were down-regulated. These results provide high-throughput means for assessing antibiotic resistance and determine the genetic network that contributes to the global tetracycline response between two highly related probiotic strains.
Project description:Cationic antimicrobial peptides (CAPs) are promising novel alternatives to conventional antibacterial agents, but the overlap in resistance mechanisms between small-molecule antibiotics and CAPs is unknown. Does evolution of antibiotic resistance decrease (cross-resistance) or increase (collateral sensitivity) susceptibility to CAPs? We systematically addressed this issue by studying the susceptibilities of a comprehensive set of antibiotic resistant Escherichia coli strains towards 24 antimicrobial peptides. Strikingly, antibiotic resistant bacteria frequently showed collateral sensitivity to CAPs, while cross-resistance was relatively rare. We identified clinically relevant multidrug resistance mutations that simultaneously elevate susceptibility to certain CAPs. Transcriptome and chemogenomic analysis revealed that such mutations frequently alter the lipopolysaccharide composition of the outer cell membrane and thereby increase the killing efficiency of membrane-interacting antimicrobial peptides. Furthermore, we identified CAP-antibiotic combinations that rescue the activity of existing antibiotics and slow down the evolution of resistance to antibiotics. Our work provides a proof of principle for the development of peptide based antibiotic adjuvants that enhance antibiotic action and block evolution of resistance.
2018-03-29 | GSE96706 | GEO
Project description:Dynamics of antibiotic and antibiotic resistance genes during spectinomycin mycelia dregs fermenting