scholarly journals Efflux Transporter ArsK Is Responsible for Bacterial Resistance to Arsenite, Antimonite, Trivalent Roxarsone, and Methylarsenite

2018 ◽  
Vol 84 (24) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaixiang Shi ◽  
Chan Li ◽  
Christopher Rensing ◽  
Xingli Dai ◽  
Xia Fan ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Arsenic-resistant bacteria have evolved various efflux systems for arsenic resistance. Five arsenic efflux proteins, ArsB, Acr3, ArsP, ArsJ, and MSF1, have been reported. In this study, comprehensive analyses were performed to study the function of a putative major facilitator superfamily gene, arsK, and the regulation of arsK transcriptional expression in Agrobacterium tumefaciens GW4. We found that (i) arsK is located on an arsenic gene island in strain GW4. ArsK orthologs are widely distributed in arsenic-resistant bacteria and are phylogenetically divergent from the five reported arsenic efflux proteins, indicating that it may be a novel arsenic efflux transporter. (ii) Reporter gene assays showed that the expression of arsK was induced by arsenite [As(III)], antimonite [Sb(III)], trivalent roxarsone [Rox(III)], methylarsenite [MAs(III)], and arsenate [As(V)]. (iii) Heterologous expression of ArsK in an arsenic-hypersensitive Escherichia coli strain showed that ArsK was essential for resistance to As(III), Sb(III), Rox(III), and MAs(III) but not to As(V), dimethylarsenite [dimethyl-As(III)], or Cd(II). (iv) ArsK reduced the cellular accumulation of As(III), Sb(III), Rox(III), and MAs(III) but not to As(V) or dimethyl-As(III). (v) A putative arsenic regulator gene arsR2 was cotranscribed with arsK, and (vi) ArsR2 interacted with the arsR2-arsK promoter region without metalloids and was derepressed by As(III), Sb(III), Rox(III), and MAs(III), indicating the repression activity of ArsR2 for the transcription of arsK. These results demonstrate that ArsK is a novel arsenic efflux protein for As(III), Sb(III), Rox(III), and MAs(III) and is regulated by ArsR2. Bacteria use the arsR2-arsK operon for resistance to several trivalent arsenicals or antimonials. IMPORTANCE The metalloid extrusion systems are very important bacterial resistance mechanisms. Each of the previously reported ArsB, Acr3, ArsP, ArsJ, and MSF1 transport proteins conferred only inorganic or organic arsenic/antimony resistance. In contrast, ArsK confers resistance to several inorganic and organic trivalent arsenicals and antimonials. The identification of the novel efflux transporter ArsK enriches our understanding of bacterial resistance to trivalent arsenite [As(III)], antimonite [Sb(III)], trivalent roxarsone [Rox(III)], and methylarsenite [MAs(III)].

2012 ◽  
Vol 78 (17) ◽  
pp. 6295-6301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weixin Tao ◽  
Myung Hwan Lee ◽  
Jing Wu ◽  
Nam Hee Kim ◽  
Jin-Cheol Kim ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTChloramphenicol and florfenicol are broad-spectrum antibiotics. Although the bacterial resistance mechanisms to these antibiotics have been well documented, hydrolysis of these antibiotics has not been reported in detail. This study reports the hydrolysis of these two antibiotics by a specific hydrolase that is encoded by a gene identified from a soil metagenome. Hydrolysis of chloramphenicol has been recognized in cell extracts ofEscherichia coliexpressing a chloramphenicol acetate esterase gene,estDL136. A hydrolysate of chloramphenicol was identified asp-nitrophenylserinol by liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The hydrolysis of these antibiotics suggested a promiscuous amidase activity of EstDL136. WhenestDL136was expressed inE. coli, EstDL136 conferred resistance to both chloramphenicol and florfenicol onE. coli, due to their inactivation. In addition,E. colicarryingestDL136deactivated florfenicol faster than it deactivated chloramphenicol, suggesting that EstDL136 hydrolyzes florfenicol more efficiently than it hydrolyzes chloramphenicol. The nucleotide sequences flankingestDL136encode proteins such as amidohydrolase, dehydrogenase/reductase, major facilitator transporter, esterase, and oxidase. The most closely related genes are found in the bacterial familySphingomonadaceae, which contains many bioremediation-related strains. Whether the gene cluster withestDL136inE. coliis involved in further chloramphenicol degradation was not clear in this study. While acetyltransferases for chloramphenicol resistance and drug exporters for chloramphenicol or florfenicol resistance are often detected in numerous microbes, this is the first report of enzymatic hydrolysis of florfenicol resulting in inactivation of the antibiotic.


2007 ◽  
Vol 59 (6) ◽  
pp. 1265-1270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerda Szakonyi ◽  
Dong Leng ◽  
Pikyee Ma ◽  
Kim E. Bettaney ◽  
Massoud Saidijam ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Balaram Khamari ◽  
Prakash Kumar ◽  
Bulagonda Eswarappa Pradeep

Introduction. Nitrofurantoin is one of the preferred antibiotics in the treatment of uropathogenic multidrug-resistant (MDR) infections. However, resistance to nitrofurantoin in extensively drug-resistant (XDR) bacteria has severely limited the treatment options. Gap statement. Information related to co-resistance or collateral sensitivity (CS) with reference to nitrofurantoin resistant bacteria is limited. Aim. To study the potential of nitrofurantoin resistance as an indicator of the XDR phenotype in Enterobacteriaceae . Methods. One hundred (45 nitrofurantoin-resistant, 21 intermediately resistant and 34 nitrofurantoin-susceptible) Enterobacteriaceae were analysed in this study. Antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) against nitrofurantoin and 17 other antimicrobial agents across eight different classes was performed by using the Vitek 2.0 system. The isolates were screened for the prevalence of acquired antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and efflux pump genes by PCR. Results. In total, 51 % of nitrofurantoin-resistant and 28 % of intermediately nitrofurantoin resistant isolates exhibited XDR characteristics, while only 3 % of nitrofurantoin-sensitive isolates were XDR (P=0.0001). Significant co-resistance was observed between nitrofurantoin and other tested antibiotics (β-lactam, cephalosporin, carbapenem, aminoglycoside and tetracycline). Further, the prevalence of AMR and efflux pump genes was higher in the nitrofurantoin-resistant strains compared to the susceptible isolates. A strong association was observed between nitrofurantoin resistance and the presence of bla PER-1, bla NDM-1, bla OXA-48, ant(2) and oqxA-oqxB genes. Tigecycline (84 %) and colistin (95 %) were the only antibiotics to which the majority of the isolates were susceptible. Conclusion. Nitrofurantoin resistance could be an indicator of the XDR phenotype among Enterobacteriaceae , harbouring multiple AMR and efflux pump genes. Tigecycline and colistin are the only antibiotics that could be used in the treatment of such XDR infections. A deeper understanding of the co-resistance mechanisms in XDR pathogens and prescription of AST-based appropriate combination therapy may help mitigate this problem.


2016 ◽  
Vol 60 (10) ◽  
pp. 6067-6075 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Hong ◽  
Jianye Hu ◽  
Fei Ke

ABSTRACTTachyplesin I is a 17-amino-acid cationic antimicrobial peptide (AMP) with a typical cyclic antiparallel β-sheet structure that is a promising therapeutic for infections, tumors, and viruses. To date, no bacterial resistance to tachyplesin I has been reported. To explore the safety of tachyplesin I as an antibacterial drug for wide clinical application, we experimentally induced bacterial resistance to tachyplesin I by using two selection procedures and studied the preliminary resistance mechanisms.Aeromonas hydrophilaXS91-4-1,Pseudomonas aeruginosaCGMCC1.2620, andEscherichia coliATCC 25922 and F41 showed resistance to tachyplesin I under long-term selection pressure with continuously increasing concentrations of tachyplesin I. In addition,P. aeruginosaandE. coliexhibited resistance to tachyplesin I under UV mutagenesis selection conditions. Cell growth and colony morphology were slightly different between control strains and strains with induced resistance. Cross-resistance to tachyplesin I and antimicrobial agents (cefoperazone and amikacin) or other AMPs (pexiganan, tachyplesin III, and polyphemusin I) was observed in some resistant mutants. Previous studies showed that extracellular protease-mediated degradation of AMPs induced bacterial resistance to AMPs. Our results indicated that the resistance mechanism ofP. aeruginosawas not entirely dependent on extracellular proteolytic degradation of tachyplesin I; however, tachyplesin I could induce increased proteolytic activity inP. aeruginosa. Most importantly, our findings raise serious concerns about the long-term risks associated with the development and clinical use of tachyplesin I.


2001 ◽  
Vol 45 (5) ◽  
pp. 1528-1534 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrı́cia A. Nunes ◽  
Sandra Tenreiro ◽  
Isabel Sá-Correia

ABSTRACT As predicted based on structural considerations, we show results indicating that the member of the major facilitator superfamily encoded by Saccharomyces cerevisiae open reading frameYIL120w is a multidrug resistance determinant. Yil120wp was implicated in yeast resistance to ketoconazole and quinidine, but not to the stereoisomer quinine; the gene was thus named QDR1. Qdr1p was proved to alleviate the deleterious effects of quinidine, revealed by the loss of cell viability following sudden exposure of the unadapted yeast population to the drug, and to allow the earlier eventual resumption of exponential growth under quinidine stress. However, QDR1 gene expression had no detectable effect on the susceptibility of yeast cells previously adapted to quinidine. Fluorescence microscopy observation of the distribution of the Qdr1-green fluorescent protein fusion protein in living yeast cells indicated that Qdr1p is a plasma membrane protein. We also show experimental evidence indicating that yeast adaptation to growth with quinidine involves the induction of active expulsion of the drug from preloaded cells, despite the fact that this antiarrhythmic and antimalarial quinoline ring-containing drug is not present in the yeast natural environment. However, we were not able to prove that Qdr1p is directly implicated in this export. Results clearly suggest that there are other unidentified quinidine resistance mechanisms that can be used in the absence of QDR1.


2007 ◽  
Vol 79 (12) ◽  
pp. 2143-2153 ◽  
Author(s):  
John B. Bremner

Bacteria use a number of resistance mechanisms to counter the antibacterial challenge, and one of these is the expression of transmembrane protein-based efflux pumps which can pump out antibacterials from within the cells, thus lowering the antibacterial concentration to nonlethal levels. For example, in S. aureus, the NorA pump can pump out the antibacterial alkaloid berberine and ciprofloxacin. One general strategy to reduce the health threat of resistant bacteria is to block a major bacterial resistance mechanism at the same time as interfering with another bacterial pathway or target site. New developments of this approach in the context of dual-action prodrugs and dual-action (or hybrid) drugs in which one action is targeted at blocking the NorA efflux pump and the second action at an alternative bacterial target site (or sites) for the antibacterial action are discussed. The compounds are based on a combination of 2-aryl-5-nitro-1H-indole derivatives (as the NorA efflux pump blocking component) and derivatives of berberine. General design principles, syntheses, antibacterial testing, and preliminary work on modes of action studies are discussed.


2016 ◽  
Vol 82 (17) ◽  
pp. 5216-5224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirill V. Ovchinnikov ◽  
Hai Chi ◽  
Ibrahim Mehmeti ◽  
Helge Holo ◽  
Ingolf F. Nes ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTFrom raw milk we found 10Lactococcus garvieaeisolates that produce a new broad-spectrum bacteriocin. Though the isolates were obtained from different farms, they turned out to possess identical inhibitory spectra, fermentation profiles of sugars, and repetitive sequence-based PCR (rep-PCR) DNA patterns, indicating that they produce the same bacteriocin. One of the isolates (L. garvieaeKS1546) was chosen for further assessment. Purification and peptide sequencing combined with genome sequencing revealed that the antimicrobial activity was due to a bacteriocin unit composed of three similar peptides of 32 to 34 amino acids. The three peptides are produced without leader sequences, and their genes are located next to each other in an operon-like structure, adjacent to the genes normally involved in bacteriocin transport (ABC transporter) and self-immunity. The bacteriocin, termed garvicin KS (GarKS), showed sequence homology to four multipeptide bacteriocins in databases: the known staphylococcal aureocin A70, consisting of four peptides, and three unannotated putative multipeptide bacteriocins produced byBacillus cereus. All these multipeptide bacteriocin loci show conserved genetic organization, including being located adjacent to conserved genetic determinants (Cro/cI and integrase) which are normally associated with mobile genetic elements or genome rearrangements. The antimicrobial activity of all multipeptide bacteriocins was confirmed with synthetic peptides, and all were shown to have broad antimicrobial spectra, with GarKS being the most active of them. The inhibitory spectrum of GarKS includes important pathogens belonging to the generaStaphylococcus,Bacillus,Listeria, andEnterococcus.IMPORTANCEBacterial resistance to antibiotics is a very serious global problem. There are no new antibiotics with novel antimicrobial mechanisms in clinical trials. Bacteriocins use antimicrobial mechanisms different from those of antibiotics and can kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria, but the number of bacteriocins with very broad antimicrobial spectra is very small. In this study, we have found and purified a novel three-peptide bacteriocin, garvicin KS. By homology search, we were able to find one known and three novel sequence-related bacteriocins consisting of 3 or 4 peptides. None of the peptides has modified amino acids in its sequence. Thus, the activity of all bacteriocins was confirmed with chemically synthesized peptides. All of them, especially garvicin KS, have very broad antibacterial spectra, thus representing a great potential in antimicrobial applications in the food industry and medicine.


2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean D. Liston ◽  
Luke Whitesell ◽  
Mili Kapoor ◽  
Karen Joy Shaw ◽  
Leah E. Cowen

ABSTRACT Manogepix is a broad-spectrum antifungal agent that inhibits glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor biosynthesis. Using whole-genome sequencing, we characterized two efflux-mediated mechanisms in the fungal pathogens Candida albicans and Candida parapsilosis that resulted in decreased manogepix susceptibility. In C. albicans, a gain-of-function mutation in the transcription factor gene ZCF29 activated expression of ATP-binding cassette transporter genes CDR11 and SNQ2. In C. parapsilosis, a mitochondrial deletion activated expression of the major facilitator superfamily transporter gene MDR1.


mSystems ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Bouzo ◽  
Nural N. Cokcetin ◽  
Liping Li ◽  
Giulia Ballerin ◽  
Amy L. Bottomley ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Manuka honey has broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, and unlike traditional antibiotics, resistance to its killing effects has not been reported. However, its mechanism of action remains unclear. Here, we investigated the mechanism of action of manuka honey and its key antibacterial components using a transcriptomic approach in a model organism, Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We show that no single component of honey can account for its total antimicrobial action, and that honey affects the expression of genes in the SOS response, oxidative damage, and quorum sensing. Manuka honey uniquely affects genes involved in the explosive cell lysis process and in maintaining the electron transport chain, causing protons to leak across membranes and collapsing the proton motive force, and it induces membrane depolarization and permeabilization in P. aeruginosa. These data indicate that the activity of manuka honey comes from multiple mechanisms of action that do not engender bacterial resistance. IMPORTANCE The threat of antimicrobial resistance to human health has prompted interest in complex, natural products with antimicrobial activity. Honey has been an effective topical wound treatment throughout history, predominantly due to its broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. Unlike traditional antibiotics, honey-resistant bacteria have not been reported; however, honey remains underutilized in the clinic in part due to a lack of understanding of its mechanism of action. Here, we demonstrate that honey affects multiple processes in bacteria, and this is not explained by its major antibacterial components. Honey also uniquely affects bacterial membranes, and this can be exploited for combination therapy with antibiotics that are otherwise ineffective on their own. We argue that honey should be included as part of the current array of wound treatments due to its effective antibacterial activity that does not promote resistance in bacteria.


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