scholarly journals Faculty Opinions recommendation of Azithromycin Resistance through Interspecific Acquisition of an Epistasis-Dependent Efflux Pump Component and Transcriptional Regulator in Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

Author(s):  
David Stephens ◽  
Yih-Ling Tzeng
Author(s):  
J G E Laumen ◽  
S S Manoharan-Basil ◽  
E Verhoeven ◽  
S Abdellati ◽  
I De Baetselier ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The prevalence of azithromycin resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae is increasing in numerous populations worldwide. Objectives To characterize the genetic pathways leading to high-level azithromycin resistance. Methods A customized morbidostat was used to subject two N. gonorrhoeae reference strains (WHO-F and WHO-X) to dynamically sustained azithromycin pressure. We tracked stepwise evolution of resistance by whole genome sequencing. Results Within 26 days, all cultures evolved high-level azithromycin resistance. Typically, the first step towards resistance was found in transitory mutations in genes rplD, rplV and rpmH (encoding the ribosomal proteins L4, L22 and L34 respectively), followed by mutations in the MtrCDE-encoded efflux pump and the 23S rRNA gene. Low- to high-level resistance was associated with mutations in the ribosomal proteins and MtrCDE efflux pump. However, high-level resistance was consistently associated with mutations in the 23S ribosomal RNA, mainly the well-known A2059G and C2611T mutations, but also at position A2058G. Conclusions This study enabled us to track previously reported mutations and identify novel mutations in ribosomal proteins (L4, L22 and L34) that may play a role in the genesis of azithromycin resistance in N. gonorrhoeae.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.G.E. Laumen ◽  
S.S. Manoharan-Basil ◽  
E Verhoeven ◽  
S Abdellati ◽  
I De Baetselier ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectivesThe prevalence of azithromycin resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae is increasing in numerous populations worldwide. The aim of this study was to characterize the genetic pathways leading to high-level azithromycin resistance.MethodsA customized morbidostat was used to subject two N. gonorrhoeae reference strains (WHO-F and WHO-X) to dynamically sustained azithromycin pressure. We tracked stepwise evolution of resistance by whole genome sequencing.ResultsWithin 26 days, all cultures evolved high-level azithromycin resistance. Typically, the first step towards resistance was found in transitory mutations in genes rplD, rplV and rpmH (encoding the ribosomal proteins L4, L22 and L34 respectively), followed by mutations in the MtrCDE-encoded efflux pump and the 23S rRNA gene. Low-to high-level resistance was associated with mutations in the ribosomal proteins and MtrCDE-encoded efflux pump. However, high-level resistance was consistently associated with mutations in the 23S ribosomal RNA - mainly the well-known A2059G and C2611T mutations, but also at position A2058G.ConclusionsThis study enabled us to track previously reported mutations and identify novel mutations in ribosomal proteins (L4, L22 and L34) that may play a role in the genesis of azithromycin resistance in N. gonorrhoeae.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Crista B. Wadsworth ◽  
Brian J. Arnold ◽  
Mohamad R. Abdul Sater ◽  
Yonatan H. Grad

ABSTRACTMosaic interspecifically acquired alleles of the multiple transferable resistance (mtr) efflux pump operon correlate with reduced susceptibility to azithromycin in Neisseria gonorrhoeae in epidemiological studies. However, whether and how these alleles cause resistance is unclear. Here, we use population genomics, transformations, and transcriptional analyses to dissect the relationship between variant mtr alleles and azithromycin resistance. We find that the locus encompassing the mtrR transcriptional repressor and the mtrCDE pump is a hotspot of interspecific recombination introducing alleles from N. meningitidis and N. lactamica into N. gonorrhoeae, with multiple rare haplotypes in linkage disequilibrium at mtrD and the mtr promoter region. Transformations demonstrated that resistance is mediated through epistasis between these two loci and that the full length of the mosaic mtrD allele is required. Gene expression profiling revealed the mechanism of resistance in mosaics couples the novel mtrDalleles with promoter mutations enhancing expression of the pump. Overall, our results demonstrate that epistatic interactions at mtr gained from multiple Neisseria has contributed to azithromycin resistance in the gonococcal population.AUTHOR SUMMARYNeisseria gonorrhoeae is the sexually transmitted bacterial pathogen responsible for over 100 million cases of gonorrhea worldwide each year. The incidence of reduced susceptibility to the macrolide class antibiotic azithromycin has increased in the past decade; however, a large proportion of the genetic basis of resistance to this drug remains unexplained. Recently, resistance has been shown to be highly associated with mosaic alleles of the multiple transferable resistance (mtr) efflux pump, which have been gained via horizontal gene exchange with other Neisseria. However, if and how these alleles caused resistance was unknown. Here, we demonstrate that resistance has been gained through epistasis between mtrD and the mtr promoter region using evidence from both population genomics and experimental genetic manipulation. Epistasis also acts within the mtrD locus alone, requiring the full length of the gene for phenotypic resistance. Transcriptomic profiling indicates that the mechanism of resistance in mosaics is likely derived from both structural changes to mtrD, coupled with promoter mutations that result in regulatory changes to mtrCDE.


mBio ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Crista B. Wadsworth ◽  
Brian J. Arnold ◽  
Mohamad R. Abdul Sater ◽  
Yonatan H. Grad

ABSTRACTMosaic interspecifically acquired alleles of the multiple transferable resistance (mtr) efflux pump operon correlate with increased resistance to azithromycin inNeisseria gonorrhoeaein epidemiological studies. However, whether and how these alleles cause resistance is unclear. Here, we use population genomics, transformations, and transcriptional analyses to dissect the relationship between variantmtralleles and azithromycin resistance. We find that the locus encompassing themtrRtranscriptional repressor and themtrCDEpump is a hot spot of interspecific recombination introducing alleles fromNeisseria meningitidisandNeisseria lactamicaintoN. gonorrhoeae, with multiple rare haplotypes in linkage disequilibrium atmtrDand themtrpromoter region. Transformations demonstrate that resistance to azithromycin, as well as to other antimicrobial compounds such as polymyxin B and crystal violet, is mediated through epistasis between these two loci and that the full-length mosaicmtrDallele is required. Gene expression profiling reveals the mechanism of resistance in mosaics couples novelmtrDalleles with promoter mutations that increase expression of the pump. Overall, our results demonstrate that epistatic interactions atmtrgained from multiple neisserial species has contributed to increased gonococcal resistance to diverse antimicrobial agents.IMPORTANCENeisseria gonorrhoeaeis the sexually transmitted bacterial pathogen responsible for more than 100 million cases of gonorrhea worldwide each year. The incidence of resistance to the macrolide azithromycin has increased in the past decade; however, a large proportion of the genetic basis of resistance remains unexplained. This study is the first to conclusively demonstrate the acquisition of macrolide resistance throughmtralleles from otherNeisseriaspecies, demonstrating that commensalNeisseriabacteria are a reservoir for antibiotic resistance to macrolides, extending the role of interspecies mosaicism in resistance beyond what has been previously described for cephalosporins. Ultimately, our results emphasize that future fine-mapping of genome-wide interspecies mosaicism may be valuable in understanding the pathways to antimicrobial resistance. Our results also have implications for diagnostics and public health surveillance and control, as they can be used to inform the development of sequence-based tools to monitor and control the spread of antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea.


2015 ◽  
Vol 59 (11) ◽  
pp. 6873-6881 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn Winglee ◽  
Shichun Lun ◽  
Marco Pieroni ◽  
Alan Kozikowski ◽  
William Bishai

ABSTRACTDrug resistance is a major problem inMycobacterium tuberculosiscontrol, and it is critical to identify novel drug targets and new antimycobacterial compounds. We have previously identified an imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine-4-carbonitrile-based agent, MP-III-71, with strong activity againstM. tuberculosis. In this study, we evaluated mechanisms of resistance to MP-III-71. We derived three independentM. tuberculosismutants resistant to MP-III-71 and conducted whole-genome sequencing of these mutants. Loss-of-function mutations inRv2887were common to all three MP-III-71-resistant mutants, and we confirmed the role ofRv2887as a gene required for MP-III-71 susceptibility using complementation. The Rv2887 protein was previously unannotated, but domain and homology analyses suggested it to be a transcriptional regulator in the MarR (multiple antibiotic resistance repressor) family, a group of proteins first identified inEscherichia colito negatively regulate efflux pumps and other mechanisms of multidrug resistance. We found that two efflux pump inhibitors, verapamil and chlorpromazine, potentiate the action of MP-III-71 and that mutation ofRv2887abrogates their activity. We also used transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) to identify genes which are differentially expressed in the presence and absence of a functional Rv2887 protein. We found that genes involved in benzoquinone and menaquinone biosynthesis were repressed by functional Rv2887. Thus, inactivating mutations ofRv2887, encoding a putative MarR-like transcriptional regulator, confer resistance to MP-III-71, an effective antimycobacterial compound that shows no cross-resistance to existing antituberculosis drugs. The mechanism of resistance ofM. tuberculosisRv2887mutants may involve efflux pump upregulation and also drug methylation.


2002 ◽  
Vol 184 (20) ◽  
pp. 5619-5624 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy L. Veal ◽  
Robert A. Nicholas ◽  
William M. Shafer

ABSTRACT The importance of the mtrCDE-encoded efflux pump in conferring chromosomally mediated penicillin resistance on certain strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae was determined by using genetic derivatives of penicillin-sensitive strain FA19 bearing defined mutations (mtrR, penA, and penB) donated by a clinical isolate (FA6140) expressing high-level resistance to penicillin and antimicrobial hydrophobic agents (HAs). When introduced into strain FA19 by transformation, a single base pair deletion in the mtrR promoter sequence from strain FA6140 was sufficient to provide high-level resistance to HAs (e.g., erythromycin and Triton X-100) but only a twofold increase in resistance to penicillin. When subsequent mutations in penA and porIB were introduced from strain FA6140 into strain WV30 (FA19 mtrR) by transformation, resistance to penicillin increased incrementally up to a MIC of 1.0 μg/ml. Insertional inactivation of the gene (mtrD) encoding the membrane transporter component of the Mtr efflux pump in these transformant strains and in strain FA6140 decreased the MIC of penicillin by 16-fold. Genetic analyses revealed that mtrR mutations, such as the single base pair deletion in its promoter, are needed for phenotypic expression of penicillin and tetracycline resistance afforded by the penB mutation. As penB represents amino acid substitutions within the third loop of the outer membrane PorIB protein that modulate entry of penicillin and tetracycline, the results presented herein suggest that PorIB and the MtrC-MtrD-MtrE efflux pump act synergistically to confer resistance to these antibiotics.


Author(s):  
Kevin C Ma ◽  
Tatum D Mortimer ◽  
Allison L Hicks ◽  
Nicole E Wheeler ◽  
Leonor Sánchez-Busó ◽  
...  

AbstractNeisseria gonorrhoeae is an urgent public health threat due to rapidly increasing incidence and antibiotic resistance. In contrast with the trend of increasing resistance, clinical isolates that have reverted to susceptibility regularly appear, prompting questions about which pressures compete with antibiotics to shape gonococcal evolution. Here, we used genome-wide association on the largest collection of N. gonorrhoeae isolates to date (n=4852) to identify loss-of-function (LOF) mutations in the efflux pump mtrCDE operon as a mechanism of increased antibiotic susceptibility and demonstrate that these mutations are overrepresented in cervical isolates relative to urethral isolates (odds ratio (OR) = 3.74, 95% CI [1.98-6.70]). In support of a model in which pump expression incurs a fitness cost in this niche, cervical isolates were also enriched relative to urethral isolates in LOF mutations in the mtrCDE activator mtrA (OR = 8.60, 95% CI [4.96-14.57]) and in farA, a subunit of the FarAB efflux pump (OR = 6.25, 95% CI [3.90-9.83]). In total, approximately 2 in 5 cervical isolates (42.6%) contained a LOF mutation in either the efflux pump components mtrC or farA or the activator mtrA. Our findings extend beyond N. gonorrhoeae to other Neisseria: mtrC LOF mutations are rare (<1%) in the primarily nasopharyngeal-colonizing N. meningitidis in a collection of 14,798 genomes but enriched in a heterosexual urethritis-associated lineage (8.6%, p = 9.90×10−5), indicating that efflux pump downregulation contributes broadly to the adaptation of pathogenic Neisseria to the female urogenital tract. Overall, our findings highlight the impact of integrating microbial population genomics with host metadata and demonstrate how host environmental pressures can lead to increased antibiotic susceptibility.


2008 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
Author(s):  
S A Chisholm ◽  
C Ison

The Gonococcal Resistance to Antimicrobials Surveillance Programme (GRASP) in England and Wales has monitored azithromycin resistance since 2001. In 2007, high-level azithromycin resistance (MICs >256 mg/L) was identified for the first time in six isolates, all of which were the same sequence type (ST 649).


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document