scholarly journals Determinants of Intrinsic Aminoglycoside Resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

2012 ◽  
Vol 56 (11) ◽  
pp. 5591-5602 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Krahn ◽  
Christie Gilmour ◽  
Justin Tilak ◽  
Sebastien Fraud ◽  
Nicholas Kerr ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTScreening of a transposon insertion mutant library ofPseudomonas aeruginosafor increased susceptibility to paromomycin identified a number of genes whose disruption enhanced susceptibility of this organism to multiple aminoglycosides, including tobramycin, amikacin, and gentamicin. These included genes associated with lipid biosynthesis or metabolism (lptA,faoA), phosphate uptake (pstB), and two-component regulators (amgRS, PA2797-PA2798) and a gene of unknown function (PA0392). Deletion mutants lacking these showed enhanced panaminoglycoside susceptibility that was reversed by the cloned genes, confirming their contribution to intrinsic panaminoglycoside resistance. None of these mutants showed increased aminoglycoside permeation of the cell envelope, indicating that increased susceptibility was not related to enhanced aminoglycoside uptake owing to a reduced envelope barrier function. Several mutants (pstB,faoA, PA0392,amgR) did, however, show increased cytoplasmic membrane depolarization relative to wild type following gentamicin exposure, consistent with the membranes of these mutants being more prone to perturbation, likely by gentamicin-generated mistranslated polypeptides. Mutants lacking any two of these resistance genes in various combinations invariably showed increased aminoglycoside susceptibility relative to single-deletion mutants, confirming their independent contribution to resistance and highlighting the complexity of the intrinsic aminoglycoside resistome inP. aeruginosa. Deletion of these genes also compromised the high-level panaminoglycoside resistance of clinical isolates, emphasizing their important contribution to acquired resistance.

2012 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 96-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tatsuya Tada ◽  
Tohru Miyoshi-Akiyama ◽  
Kayo Shimada ◽  
Masahiro Shimojima ◽  
Teruo Kirikae

ABSTRACTPseudomonas aeruginosaNCGM1588 has a novel chromosomal class 1 integron, In151, which includes theaac(6′)-Iajgene. The encoded protein, AAC(6′)-Iaj, was found to consist of 184 amino acids, with 70% identity to AAC(6′)-Ia.Escherichia colitransformed with a plasmid containing theaac(6′)-Iajgene acquired resistance to all aminoglycosides tested except gentamicin. Of note,aac(6′)-Iajcontributed to the resistance to arbekacin. Thin-layer chromatography revealed that AAC(6′)-Iaj acetylated all aminoglycosides tested except gentamicin. These findings indicated that AAC(6′)-Iaj is a functional acetyltransferase that modifies the amino groups at the 6′ positions of aminoglycosides and contributes to aminoglycoside resistance ofP. aeruginosaNCGM1588, including arbekacin.


2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carla López-Causapé ◽  
Rosa Rubio ◽  
Gabriel Cabot ◽  
Antonio Oliver

ABSTRACT Inhaled administration of high doses of aminoglycosides is a key maintenance treatment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa chronic respiratory infections in cystic fibrosis (CF). We analyzed the dynamics and mechanisms of stepwise high-level tobramycin resistance development in vitro and compared the results with those of isogenic pairs of susceptible and resistant clinical isolates. Resistance development correlated with fusA1 mutations in vitro and in vivo. pmrB mutations, conferring polymyxin resistance, were also frequently selected in vitro . In contrast, mutational overexpression of MexXY, a hallmark of aminoglycoside resistance in CF, was not observed in in vitro evolution experiments.


1996 ◽  
Vol 40 (11) ◽  
pp. 2488-2493 ◽  
Author(s):  
P Mugnier ◽  
P Dubrous ◽  
I Casin ◽  
G Arlet ◽  
E Collatz

A clinical strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, PAe1100, was found to be resistant to all antipseudomonal beta-lactam antibiotics and to aminoglycosides, including gentamicin, amikacin, and isepamicin. PAe1100 produced two beta-lactamases, TEM-2 (pI 5.6) and a novel, TEM-derived extended-spectrum beta-lactamase called TEM-42 (pI 5.8), susceptible to inhibition by clavulanate, sulbactam, and tazobactam. Both enzymes, as well as the aminoglycoside resistance which resulted from AAC(3)-IIa and AAC(6')-I production, were encoded by an 18-kb nonconjugative plasmid, pLRM1, that could be transferred to Escherichia coli by transformation. The gene coding for TEM-42 had four mutations that led to as many amino acid substitutions with respect to TEM-2: Val for Ala at position 42 (Ala42), Ser for Gly238, Lys for Glu240, and Met for Thr265 (Ambler numbering). The double mutation Ser for Gly238 and Lys for Glu240, which has so far only been described in SHV-type but not TEM-type enzymes, conferred concomitant high-level resistance to cefotaxime and ceftazidime. The novel, TEM-derived extended-spectrum beta-lactamase appears to be the first of its class to be described in P. aeruginosa.


mSphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tianyuan Cao ◽  
Jonathan V. Sweedler ◽  
Paul W. Bohn ◽  
Joshua D. Shrout

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic human pathogen important to diseases such as cystic fibrosis. P. aeruginosa has multiple quorum-sensing (QS) systems, one of which utilizes the signaling molecule 2-heptyl-3-hydroxy-4-quinolone (Pseudomonas quinolone signal [PQS]). Here, we use hyperspectral Raman imaging to elucidate the spatiotemporal PQS distributions that determine how P. aeruginosa regulates surface colonization and its response to both metabolic stress and competition from other bacterial strains. These chemical imaging experiments illustrate the strong link between environmental challenges, such as metabolic stress caused by nutritional limitations or the presence of another bacterial species, and PQS signaling. Metabolic stress elicits a complex response in which limited nutrients induce the bacteria to produce PQS earlier, but the bacteria may also pause PQS production entirely if the nutrient concentration is too low. Separately, coculturing P. aeruginosa in the proximity of another bacterial species, or its culture supernatant, results in earlier production of PQS. However, these differences in PQS appearance are not observed for all alkyl quinolones (AQs) measured; the spatiotemporal response of 2-heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline N-oxide (HQNO) is highly uniform for most conditions. These insights on the spatiotemporal distributions of quinolones provide additional perspective on the behavior of P. aeruginosa in response to different environmental cues. IMPORTANCE Alkyl quinolones (AQs), including Pseudomonas quinolone signal (PQS), made by the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa have been associated with both population density and stress. The regulation of AQ production is known to be complex, and the stimuli that modulate AQ responses are not fully clear. Here, we have used hyperspectral Raman chemical imaging to examine the temporal and spatial profiles of AQs exhibited by P. aeruginosa under several potentially stressful conditions. We found that metabolic stress, effected by carbon limitation, or competition stress, effected by proximity to other species, resulted in accelerated PQS production. This competition effect did not require cell-to-cell interaction, as evidenced by the fact that the addition of supernatants from either Escherichia coli or Staphylococcus aureus led to early appearance of PQS. Lastly, the fact that these modulations were observed for PQS but not for all AQs suggests a high level of complexity in AQ regulation that remains to be discerned.


2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 438-451 ◽  
Author(s):  
Srisuda Pannanusorn ◽  
Bernardo Ramírez-Zavala ◽  
Heinrich Lünsdorf ◽  
Birgitta Agerberth ◽  
Joachim Morschhäuser ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT In Candida parapsilosis , biofilm formation is considered to be a major virulence factor. Previously, we determined the ability of 33 clinical isolates causing bloodstream infection to form biofilms and identified three distinct groups of biofilm-forming strains (negative, low, and high). Here, we establish two different biofilm structures among strains forming large amounts of biofilm in which strains with complex spider-like structures formed robust biofilms on different surface materials with increased resistance to fluconazole. Surprisingly, the transcription factor Bcr1, required for biofilm formation in Candida albicans and C. parapsilosis , has an essential role only in strains with low capacity for biofilm formation. Although BCR1 leads to the formation of more and longer pseudohyphae, it was not required for initial adhesion and formation of mature biofilms in strains with a high level of biofilm formation. Furthermore, an additional phenotype affected by BCR1 was the switch in colony morphology from rough to crepe, but only in strains forming high levels of biofilm. All bcr1 Δ/Δ mutants showed increased proteolytic activity and increased susceptibility to the antimicrobial peptides protamine and RP-1 compared to corresponding wild-type and complemented strains. Taken together, our results demonstrate that biofilm formation in clinical isolates of C. parapsilosis is both dependent and independent of BCR1 , but even in strains which showed a BCR1 -independent biofilm phenotype, BCR1 has alternative physiological functions.


2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy G. Prater ◽  
Heer H. Mehta ◽  
Abigael J. Kosgei ◽  
William R. Miller ◽  
Truc T. Tran ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Daptomycin binds to bacterial cell membranes and disrupts essential cell envelope processes, leading to cell death. Bacteria respond to daptomycin by altering their cell envelopes to either decrease antibiotic binding to the membrane or by diverting binding away from septal targets. In Enterococcus faecalis, daptomycin resistance is typically coordinated by the three-component cell envelope stress response system, LiaFSR. Here, studying a clinical strain of multidrug-resistant Enterococcus faecium containing alleles associated with activation of the LiaFSR signaling pathway, we found that specific environments selected for different evolutionary trajectories, leading to high-level daptomycin resistance. Planktonic environments favored pathways that increased cell surface charge via yvcRS upregulation of dltABCD and mprF, causing a reduction in daptomycin binding. Alternatively, environments favoring complex structured communities, including biofilms, evolved both diversion and repulsion strategies via divIVA and oatA mutations, respectively. Both environments subsequently converged on cardiolipin synthase (cls) mutations, suggesting the importance of membrane modification across strategies. Our findings indicate that E. faecium can evolve diverse evolutionary trajectories to daptomycin resistance that are shaped by the environment to produce a combination of resistance strategies. The accessibility of multiple and different biochemical pathways simultaneously suggests that the outcome of daptomycin exposure results in a polymorphic population of resistant phenotypes, making E. faecium a recalcitrant nosocomial pathogen.


2013 ◽  
Vol 57 (7) ◽  
pp. 3078-3084 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph F. Cavallari ◽  
Ryan P. Lamers ◽  
Edie M. Scheurwater ◽  
Andrea L. Matos ◽  
Lori L. Burrows

ABSTRACTPseudomonas aeruginosais a leading cause of hospital-acquired infections and is resistant to many antibiotics. Among its primary mechanisms of resistance is expression of a chromosomally encoded AmpC β-lactamase that inactivates β-lactams. The mechanisms leading to AmpC expression inP. aeruginosaremain incompletely understood but are intricately linked to cell wall metabolism. To better understand the roles of peptidoglycan-active enzymes in AmpC expression—and consequent β-lactam resistance—a phenotypic screen ofP. aeruginosamutants lacking such enzymes was performed. Mutants lacking one of four lytic transglycosylases (LTs) or the nonessential penicillin-binding protein PBP4 (dacB) had altered β-lactam resistance.mltFandsltmutants with reduced β-lactam resistance were designated WIMPs (wall-impaired mutant phenotypes), while highly resistantdacB,sltB1, andmltBmutants were designated HARMs (high-level AmpC resistant mutants). Double mutants lackingdacBandsltB1had extreme piperacillin resistance (>256 μg/ml) compared to either of the single knockouts (64 μg/ml for adacBmutant and 12 μg/ml for ansltB1mutant). Inactivation ofampCreverted these mutants to wild-type susceptibility, confirming that AmpC expression underlies resistance.dacBmutants had constitutively elevated AmpC expression, but the LT mutants had wild-type levels of AmpC in the absence of antibiotic exposure. These data suggest that there are at least two different pathways leading to AmpC expression inP. aeruginosaand that their simultaneous activation leads to extreme β-lactam resistance.


2017 ◽  
Vol 61 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong Yao ◽  
Dejun Liu ◽  
Yang Wang ◽  
Qijing Zhang ◽  
Zhangqi Shen

ABSTRACT Campylobacter is a major foodborne pathogen, and previous studies revealed that Campylobacter isolates from food-producing animals are increasingly resistant to gentamicin in China. The molecular epidemiology and genetic mechanisms responsible for gentamicin resistance in China have not been well understood. In this study, 607 Campylobacter isolates of chicken and swine origins collected in 2014 were analyzed, revealing that 15.6% (25/160) of the Campylobacter jejuni isolates and 79.9% (357/447) of the Campylobacter coli isolates were resistant to gentamicin. PCR detection of the gentamicin resistance genes indicated that aph(2″)-If was more prevalent than the previously identified aacA/aphD gene and has become the dominant gentamicin resistance determinant in Campylobacter. Transformation and whole-genome sequencing as well as long-range PCR discovered that aph(2″)-If was located on a chromosomal segment inserted between two conserved genes, Cj0299 and panB. Cloning of aph(2″)-If into gentamicin-susceptible C. jejuni NCTC 11168 confirmed its function in conferring high-level resistance to gentamicin and kanamycin. Molecular typing by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis suggested that both regional expansion of a particular clone and horizontal transmission were involved in the dissemination of the aph(2″)-If gene in Campylobacter. To our knowledge, this is the first report describing the high prevalence of a chromosomally encoded aph(2″)-If gene in Campylobacter. The high prevalence and predominance of this gene might be driven by the use of aminoglycoside antibiotics in food animal production in China and potentially compromise the usefulness of gentamicin as a therapeutic agent for Campylobacter-associated systemic infection.


2012 ◽  
Vol 56 (5) ◽  
pp. 2335-2341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Belen Gutierrez ◽  
Jose A. Escudero ◽  
Alvaro San Millan ◽  
Laura Hidalgo ◽  
Laura Carrilero ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTArm/Rmt methyltransferases have emerged recently in pathogenic bacteria as enzymes that confer high-level resistance to 4,6-disubstituted aminoglycosides through methylation of the G1405 residue in the 16S rRNA (like ArmA and RmtA to -E). In prokaryotes, nucleotide methylations are the most common type of rRNA modification, and they are introduced posttranscriptionally by a variety of site-specific housekeeping enzymes to optimize ribosomal function. Here we show that while the aminoglycoside resistance methyltransferase RmtC methylates G1405, it impedes methylation of the housekeeping methyltransferase RsmF at position C1407, a nucleotide that, like G1405, forms part of the aminoglycoside binding pocket of the 16S rRNA. To understand the origin and consequences of this phenomenon, we constructed a series of in-frame knockout and knock-in mutants ofEscherichia coli, corresponding to the genotypesrsmF+, ΔrsmF,rsmF+rmtC+, and ΔrsmF rmtC+. When analyzed for the antimicrobial resistance pattern, the ΔrsmFbacteria had a decreased susceptibility to aminoglycosides, including 4,6- and 4,5-deoxystreptamine aminoglycosides, showing that the housekeeping methylation at C1407 is involved in intrinsic aminoglycoside susceptibility inE. coli. Competition experiments between the isogenicE. colistrains showed that, contrary to expectation, acquisition ofrmtCdoes not entail a fitness cost for the bacterium. Finally, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry allowed us to determine that RmtC methylates the G1405 residue not only in presence but also in the absence of aminoglycoside antibiotics. Thus, the coupling between housekeeping and acquired methyltransferases subverts the methylation architecture of the 16S rRNA but elicits Arm/Rmt methyltransferases to be selected and retained, posing an important threat to the usefulness of aminoglycosides worldwide.


2011 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 1019-1030 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel M. Moskowitz ◽  
Mark K. Brannon ◽  
Nandini Dasgupta ◽  
Miyuki Pier ◽  
Nicole Sgambati ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTPseudomonas aeruginosacan develop resistance to polymyxin and other cationic antimicrobial peptides. Previous work has shown that mutations in the PmrAB and PhoPQ regulatory systems can confer low to moderate levels of colistin (polymyxin E) resistance in laboratory strains and clinical isolates of this organism (MICs of 8 to 64 mg/liter). To explore the role of PmrAB in high-level clinical polymyxin resistance,P. aeruginosaisolates from chronically colistin-treated cystic fibrosis patients, most with colistin MICs of >512 mg/liter, were analyzed. These cystic fibrosis isolates contained probable gain-of-functionpmrBalleles that conferred polymyxin resistance to strains with a wild-type orpmrABdeletion background. Double mutantpmrBalleles that contained mutations in both the periplasmic and dimerization-phosphotransferase domains markedly augmented polymyxin resistance. Expression of mutantpmrBalleles induced transcription from the promoter of thearnBoperon and stimulated addition of 4-amino-l-arabinose to lipid A, consistent with the known role of this lipid A modification in polymyxin resistance. For some highly polymyxin-resistant clinical isolates, repeated passage without antibiotic selection pressure resulted in loss of resistance, suggesting that secondary suppressors occur at a relatively high frequency and account for the instability of this phenotype. These results indicate thatpmrBgain-of-function mutations can contribute to high-level polymyxin resistance in clinical strains ofP. aeruginosa.


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