Contributions of mutations in acrR and marR genes to organic solvent tolerance in Escherichia coli

A widespread single amino acid mutation in AcrA reduces tigecycline susceptibility in Klebsiella pneumoniae

IMPORTANCE

Tigecycline, a glycecycline antibiotic with broad-spectrum activity against almost all Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, is a highly concerned "last-resort" antibiotic. In addition to plasmid-hosted mobile tet(X) conferring high-level resistance to tigecycline, there are many reports suggesting increased expression of AcrAB-TolC efflux pump leads to tigecycline non-susceptibility. However, the role of mutations in AcrAB-TolC on tigecycline resistance has not been identified. This study reports a novel T188A mutation of the AcrA subunit of AcrAB-TolC complex in a clinical tigecycline-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae strain and reveals the role of AcrA mutation on tigecycline resistance in K. pneumoniae. High prevalence of A188 type AcrA in hypervirulent multidrug-resistant K. pneumoniae indicates that mutations of the AcrAB-TolC complex may play a larger role in determining bacterial pathogenesis and antibiotic susceptibility than previously expected.

Contribution of efflux and mutations in fluoroquinolone susceptibility in MDR enterobacterial isolates: a quantitative and molecular study

OBJECTIVES

The emergence of MDR strains is a public health problem in the management of associated infections. Several resistance mechanisms are present, and antibiotic efflux is often found at the same time as enzyme resistance and/or target mutations. However, in the laboratory routinely, only the latter two are identified and the prevalence of antibiotic expulsion is underestimated, causing a misinterpretation of the bacterial resistance phenotype. The development of a diagnostic system to quantify the efflux routinely would thus improve the management of patients.

METHODS

A quantitative technique based on detection of clinically used fluoroquinolones was investigated in Enterobacteriaceae clinical strains with a high or basal efflux activity. The detail of efflux involvement was studied from MIC determination and antibiotic accumulation inside bacteria. WGS was carried out on selected strains to determine the genetic background associated with efflux expression.

RESULTS

Only 1 Klebsiella pneumoniae isolate exhibited a lack of efflux whereas 13 isolates had a basal efflux and 8 presented efflux pump overexpression. The antibiotic accumulation evidenced the efficacy of the efflux mechanism in strains, and the contribution of dynamic expulsion versus target mutations in fluoroquinolone susceptibility.

CONCLUSIONS

We confirmed that phenylalanine arginine β-naphthylamide is not a reliable marker of efflux due to the affinity of the AcrB efflux pump for different substrates. We have developed an accumulation test that can be used efficiently on clinical isolates collected by the biological laboratory. The experimental conditions and protocols ensure a robust assay that with improvements in practice, expertise and equipment could be transferred to the hospital laboratory to diagnose the contribution of efflux in Gram-negative bacteria.

Fluoroquinolone-Transition Metal Complexes: A Strategy to Overcome Bacterial Resistance

Fluoroquinolones (FQs) are antibiotics widely used in the clinical practice due to their large spectrum of action against Gram-negative and some Gram-positive bacteria. Nevertheless, the misuse and overuse of these antibiotics has triggered the development of bacterial resistance mechanisms. One of the strategies to circumvent this problem is the complexation of FQs with transition metal ions, known as metalloantibiotics, which can promote different activity and enhanced pharmacological behaviour. Here, we discuss the stability of FQ metalloantibiotics and their possible translocation pathways. The main goal of the present review is to frame the present knowledge on the conjunction of biophysical and biological tools that can help to unravel the antibacterial action of FQ metalloantibiotics. An additional goal is to shed light on the studies that must be accomplished to ensure stability and viability of such metalloantibiotics. Potentiometric, spectroscopic, microscopic, microbiological, and computational techniques are surveyed. Stability and partition constants, interaction with membrane porins and elucidation of their role in the influx, determination of the antimicrobial activity against multidrug-resistant (MDR) clinical isolates, elucidation of the mechanism of action, and toxicity assays are described for FQ metalloantibiotics.

Involvement of catalase and superoxide dismutase in hydrophobic organic solvent tolerance of Escherichia coli

Escherichia coli strains are generally sensitive to hydrophobic organic solvents such as n-hexane and cyclohexane. Oxidative stress in E. coli by exposure to these hydrophobic organic solvents has been poorly understood. In the present study, we examined organic solvent tolerance and oxygen radical generation in E. coli mutants deficient in reactive oxygen species (ROS)-scavenging enzymes. The organic solvent tolerances in single gene mutants lacking genes encoding superoxide dismutase (sodA, sodB, and sodC), catalase (katE and katG), and alkyl hydroperoxide reductase (ahpCF) were similar to that of parent strain BW25113. We constructed a BW25113-based katE katG double mutant (BW25113∆katE∆katG) and sodA sodB double mutant (BW25113sodA∆sodB). These double-gene mutants were more sensitive to hydrophobic organic solvents than BW25113. In addition, the intracellular ROS levels in E. coli strains increased by the addition of n-hexane or cyclohexane. The ROS levels in BW25113∆katE∆katG and BW25113∆sodA∆sodB induced by exposure to the solvents were higher than that in BW25113. These results suggested that ROS-scavenging enzymes contribute to the maintenance of organic solvent tolerance in E. coli. In addition, the promoter activities of sodA and sodB were significantly increased by exposure to n-hexane.

Programmable gene regulation for metabolic engineering using decoy transcription factor binding sites

Transcription factor decoy binding sites are short DNA sequences that can titrate a transcription factor away from its natural binding site, therefore regulating gene expression. In this study, we harness synthetic transcription factor decoy systems to regulate gene expression for metabolic pathways in Escherichia coli. We show that transcription factor decoys can effectively regulate expression of native and heterologous genes. Tunability of the decoy can be engineered via changes in copy number or modifications to the DNA decoy site sequence. Using arginine biosynthesis as a showcase, we observed a 16-fold increase in arginine production when we introduced the decoy system to steer metabolic flux towards increased arginine biosynthesis, with negligible growth differences compared to the wild type strain. The decoy-based production strain retains high genetic integrity; in contrast to a gene knock-out approach where mutations were common, we detected no mutations in the production system using the decoy-based strain. We further show that transcription factor decoys are amenable to multiplexed library screening by demonstrating enhanced tolerance to pinene with a combinatorial decoy library. Our study shows that transcription factor decoy binding sites are a powerful and compact tool for metabolic engineering.

Mapping the Role of AcrAB-TolC Efflux Pumps in the Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance Reveals Near-MIC Treatments Facilitate Resistance Acquisition

Antibiotic resistance has become a major public health concern as bacteria evolve to evade drugs, leading to recurring infections and a decrease in antibiotic efficacy. Systematic efforts have revealed mechanisms involved in resistance. Yet, in many cases, how these specific mechanisms accelerate or slow the evolution of resistance remains unclear. Here, we conducted a systematic study of the impact of the AcrAB-TolC efflux pump on the evolution of antibiotic resistance. We mapped how population growth rate and resistance change over time as a function of both the antibiotic concentration and the parent strain's genetic background. We compared the wild-type strain to a strain overexpressing AcrAB-TolC pumps and a strain lacking functional pumps. In all cases, resistance emerged when cultures were treated with chloramphenicol concentrations near the MIC of their respective parent strain. The genetic background of the parent strain also influenced resistance acquisition. The wild-type strain evolved resistance within 24 h through mutations in the acrAB operon and its associated regulators. Meanwhile, the strain overexpressing AcrAB-TolC evolved resistance more slowly than the wild-type strain; this strain achieved resistance in part through point mutations in acrB and the acrAB promoter. Surprisingly, the strain without functional AcrAB-TolC efflux pumps still gained resistance, which it achieved through upregulation of redundant efflux pumps. Overall, our results suggest that treatment conditions just above the MIC pose the largest risk for the evolution of resistance and that AcrAB-TolC efflux pumps impact the pathway by which chloramphenicol resistance is achieved.IMPORTANCE Combatting the rise of antibiotic resistance is a significant challenge. Efflux pumps are an important contributor to drug resistance; they exist across many cell types and can export numerous classes of antibiotics. Cells can regulate pump expression to maintain low intracellular drug concentrations. Here, we explored how resistance emerged depending on the antibiotic concentration, as well as the presence of efflux pumps and their regulators. We found that treatments near antibiotic concentrations that inhibit the parent strain's growth were most likely to promote resistance. While wild-type, pump overexpression, and pump knockout strains were all able to evolve resistance, they differed in the absolute level of resistance evolved, the speed at which they achieved resistance, and the genetic pathways involved. These results indicate that specific treatment regimens may be especially problematic for the evolution of resistance and that the strain background can influence how resistance is achieved.

RanB, a putative ABC-type multidrug efflux transporter contributes to aminoglycosides resistance and organic solvents tolerance in Riemerella anatipestifer

Riemerella anatipestifer is a Gram-negative bacterium, which is an important pathogen infecting ducks and resistant to various antibiotics. The efflux pump is an important resistance mechanism of Gram-negative bacteria, but little research has been done in R. anatipestifer. In this study, the drug resistance mediated by RIA_1614 gene of R. anatipestifer RA-GD strain was studied, because the gene was presumed to be an efflux pump component of ABC. Firstly, the deletion strain RA-GD△RIA_1614 and complemented strain RA-GD△RIA_1614 pCPRA::RIA_1614 were constructed. Then, MICs of various antimicrobial agents to parent and deletion strains and the tolerance of the strains to organic solvents were detected to screen the substrates for RIA_1614 gene. Moreover, the transcription levels of RIA_1614 gene in the parent and the complemented strains exposed to the substrates were detected by quantitative real-time RT-PCR. Furthermore, the efflux abilities of parent, deletion and complemented strains to substrates were determined by antibiotic accumulation test. In addition, in vitro competition ability and virulence of the strains were also detected. The results showed that the deletion strain was more sensitive to aminoglycosides and organic solvents than parental strain RA-GD. When RA-GD and complemented strain were exposed to sub-repression levels of aminoglycosides and organic solvents, the transcription levels of RIA_1614 gene were significantly up-regulated. Sodium o-vanadate inhibitor assay confirmed that RIA_1614 protein contributed to amikacin and streptomycin resistance and organic solvent tolerance. Streptomycin accumulation test showed that the RIA_1614 protein was able to export streptomycin, and the addition of ATPase inhibitor sodium o-vanadate increased the accumulation of streptomycin, indicating that RIA_1614 protein was an ATP-dependent efflux transporter. Growth and competition experiments revealed that RIA_1614 protein had no significant effect on growth of RA-GD, but decreased in vitro competition ability of the strain. Furthermore, pathogenicity tests showed that RIA_1614 protein involved in the virulence of the strain. Based on the results and amino acid sequence analysis, it was determined that RIA_1614 protein was a member of ABC efflux pumps, and the protein was named RanB.

Thymol tolerance in Escherichia coli induces morphological, metabolic and genetic changes

BACKGROUND

Thymol is a phenolic compound used for its wide spectrum antimicrobial activity. There is a limited understanding of the antimicrobial mechanisms underlying thymol activity. To investigate this, E. coli strain JM109 was exposed to thymol at sub-lethal concentrations and after 16 rounds of exposure, isolates with a 2-fold increased minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) were recovered (JM109-Thyr). The phenotype was stable after multiple sub-cultures without thymol.

RESULTS

Cell morphology studies by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) suggest that thymol renders bacterial cell membranes permeable and disrupts cellular integrity. 1H Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) data showed an increase in lactate and the lactic acid family amino acids in the wild type and JM109-Thyr in the presence of thymol, indicating a shift from aerobic respiration to fermentation. Sequencing of JM109-Thyr defined multiple mutations including a stop mutation in the acrR gene resulting in a truncation of the repressor of the AcrAB efflux pump. AcrAB is a multiprotein complex traversing the cytoplasmic and outer membrane, and is involved in antibiotic clearance.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data suggests that thymol tolerance in E. coli induces morphological, metabolic and genetic changes to adapt to thymol antimicrobial activity.

The effect of organic solvents on selected microorganisms and model liposome membrane

The effect of methanol, ethanol, acetone, N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), dimethyl sulfoxide and Nujol on the growth of Escherichia coli DH5α, Bacillus subtilis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae D273 was investigated. All of the tested cultures appeared susceptible to the organic media they were treated with, which evinced in apparent hindering of cell development. The observed diverse solvent tolerance, except from their different biochemical activity, may also be related to the changes in cell membrane fluidity induced by the solvent species. Parallel electron paramagnetic resonance investigations using egg yolk lecithin model liposomes revealed that the fluidity of the phospholipid system in cell membranes may either be considerably decreased (Nujol, DMF, ethanol) or increased (acetone), thus rendering difficult the intracellular nutrient supply. Hence, even the chemically neutral Nujol produced a distinct cell-growth inhibitory effect. These results are fairly consistent with the outcome of the survival tests, particularly for the bacteria strains.

Evaluation of Acquired Antibiotic Resistance in Escherichia coli Exposed to Long-Term Low-Shear Modeled Microgravity and Background Antibiotic Exposure

Stress factors experienced during space include microgravity, sleep deprivation, radiation, isolation, and microbial contamination, all of which can promote immune suppression (1, 2). Under these conditions, the risk of infection from opportunistic pathogens increases significantly, particularly during long-term missions (3). If infection occurs, it is important that the infectious agent should not be antibiotic resistant. Minimizing the occurrence of antibiotic resistance is, therefore, highly desirable. To facilitate this, it is important to better understand the long-term response of bacteria to the microgravity environment. This study demonstrated that the use of antibiotics as a preventive measure could be counterproductive and would likely result in persistent resistance to that antibiotic. In addition, unintended resistance to other antimicrobials might also occur as well as permanent genome changes that might have other unanticipated and undesirable consequences.

The long-term response of microbial communities to the microgravity environment of space is not yet fully understood. Of special interest is the possibility that members of these communities may acquire antibiotic resistance. In this study, Escherichia coli cells were grown under low-shear modeled microgravity (LSMMG) conditions for over 1,000 generations (1000G) using chloramphenicol treatment between cycles to prevent contamination. The results were compared with data from an earlier control study done under identical conditions using steam sterilization between cycles rather than chloramphenicol. The sensitivity of the final 1000G-adapted strain to a variety of antibiotics was determined using Vitek analysis. In addition to resistance to chloramphenicol, the adapted strain acquired resistance to cefalotin, cefuroxime, cefuroxime axetil, cefoxitin, and tetracycline. In fact, the resistance to chloramphenicol and cefalotin persisted for over 110 generations despite the removal of both LSMMG conditions and trace antibiotic exposure. Genome sequencing of the adapted strain revealed 22 major changes, including 3 transposon-mediated rearrangements (TMRs). Two TMRs disrupted coding genes (involved in bacterial adhesion), while the third resulted in the deletion of an entire segment (14,314 bp) of the genome, which includes 14 genes involved with motility and chemotaxis. These results are in stark contrast with data from our earlier control study in which cells grown under the identical conditions without antibiotic exposure never acquired antibiotic resistance. Overall, LSMMG does not appear to alter the antibiotic stress resistance seen in microbial ecosystems not exposed to microgravity.

Identification of ethanol tolerant outer membrane proteome reveals OmpC-dependent mechanism in a manner of EnvZ/OmpR regulation in Escherichia coli

Ethanol is an efficient disinfectant, but long-term and wide usage of ethanol leads to microbial tolerance. Bacteria with the tolerance are widely identified. However, mechanisms of the tolerance are not elucidated. To explore the mechanisms of outer membrane (OM) proteins underlying ethanol tolerance in bacteria, functional proteomic methodologies were utilized to characterize OM proteins of E. coli suddenly exposed to 3.125% ethanol. Of eleven proteins altered significantly, seven were OM proteins, in which LamB, FadL and OmpC were up-regulated, and OmpT, OmpF, Tsx and OmpA were down-regulated. The alterations were validated using Western blot. Then, functional characterization of the altered abundance of OM proteins was investigated in gene-deleted and gene-complemented mutants cultured in 1.56-6.25% ethanol. Higher inhibiting rate was detected in ΔompC than ΔlamB and ΔompA, but no difference was found between Δtsx, ΔompF, ΔfadL or ΔompT and control. Furthermore, EnvZ/OmpR two-component signal transduction system, which regulates OmpC and OmpF expression, was determined to participate in the tolerance. Finally, our results show that absence of envZ, ompR or ompC and ompA led to elevated and reduced intracellular ethanol, respectively. These findings indicate EnvZ-dependent phosphotransfer signaling pathway of the OmpR-mediated expression of OmpC plays a crucial role in ethanol tolerance.

BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE

Ethanol tolerance is an adaptation strategy of bacteria. In the present study, we used the proteomic approaches involving 2-DE and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) to determined outer membrane (OM) protein changes in E. coli K-12 after 2 h of 1/2 MIC of ethanol exposure. Under ethanol stress, seven differential OM proteins were found, which were validated by Western blot. Functions of these seven OM proteins were compared using their genetically modified strains. Furthermore, the role of EnvZ/OmpR two-component signal transduction system was identified in ethanol tolerance of E. coli. Finally, Loss of ompC, envZ or ompR increases intracellular ethanol, while absence of ompA reduces reversal effect. This is the first report of OM proteomics in E. coli exposed to ethanol. Our findings reveal an unknown OmpC-dependent mechanism of ethanol tolerance in a manner of EnvZ/OmpR regulation.

Do quaternary ammonium monomers induce drug resistance in cariogenic, endodontic and periodontal bacterial species?

OBJECTIVES

Antibacterial monomers were developed to combat oral biofilm acids and caries; however, little is known on whether quaternary ammonium monomers (QAMs) would induce drug resistance in oral bacteria. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of new antimicrobial monomers dimethylaminohexadecyl methacrylate (DMAHDM) and dimethylaminododecyl methacrylate (DMADDM) on the induction of drug resistance in eight species of cariogenic, endodontic and periodontal bacteria for the first time.

METHODS

Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans), Streptococcus sanguis, Streptococcus gordonii, Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis), Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (A. actinomycetemcomitans), Fusobacterium nucleatum (F. nucleatum), Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis), and Prevotella intermedia (P. intermedia) were tested. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was assessed using chlorhexidine (CHX) as control. Minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC), bacterial growth and membrane permeability properties were also investigated.

RESULTS

CHX induced drug resistance in four species. DMAHDM did not induce any resistance. DMADDM induced drug resistance in only one benign species S. gordonii. The DMADDM-resistant and CHX-resistant S. gordonii had the same MIC and MBC values as S. gordonii parental strain against DMAHDM (p>0.1), hence DMAHDM effectively inhibited the resistant strains. The resistant strains had slower growth metabolism than parental strain.

SIGNIFICANCE

DMAHDM induced no drug resistance, and DMADDM had much less drug resistance than the commonly-used CHX in the eight common oral species. With its potent antimicrobial functions shown previously, the new DMAHDM is promising for applications in restorative, preventive, periodontal and endodontic treatments to combat cariogenic and pathological bacteria with no drug resistance in all tested species.

Substrate-dependent dynamics of the multidrug efflux transporter AcrB of Escherichia coli

The resistance-nodulation-cell division (RND)-type xenobiotic efflux system plays a major role in the multidrug resistance of gram-negative bacteria. The only constitutively expressed RND system of Escherichia coli consists of the inner membrane transporter AcrB, the membrane fusion protein AcrA, and the outer membrane channel TolC. The latter two components are shared with another RND-type transporter AcrD, whose expression is induced by environmental stimuli. Here, we demonstrate how RND-type ternary complexes, which span two membranes and the cell wall, form in vivo. Total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy revealed that most fluorescent foci formed by AcrB fused to green fluorescent protein (GFP) were stationary in the presence of TolC but showed lateral displacements when tolC was deleted. The fraction of stationary AcrB-GFP foci decreased with increasing levels of AcrD. We propose that the AcrB-containing complex becomes unstable upon the induction of AcrD, which presumably replaces AcrB, a process we call “transporter exchange.” This instability is suppressed by AcrB-specific substrates, suggesting that the ternary complex is stabilised when it is in action. These results suggest that the assembly of the RND-type efflux system is dynamically regulated in response to external stimuli, shedding new light on the adaptive antibiotic resistance of bacteria.

The role of RND efflux pump and global regulators in tigecycline resistance in clinical Acinetobacter baumannii isolates

AIM

To analyze the expression and regulation of resistance-nodulation-division (RND) efflux systems in clinical tigecycline-nonsusceptible (TNS) Acinetobacter baumannii.

MATERIALS & METHODS

Comparisons of molecular and clinical characteristics were performed between 52 TNS and 53 tigecycline-susceptible isolates. Expression of RND efflux pumps and global regulators were analyzed by real-time RT-PCR. A complementation experiment was performed to evaluate the contribution of the adeRS mutations.

RESULTS

Mechanical ventilation and prior use of carbapenems were more common among patients with TNS strains. The relative expression of adeB and adeJ was increased significantly in TNS isolates. Complementarity to the adeR or adeS mutations decreased tigecycline susceptibility by ≤2-fold. Decreased expression of marR and soxR was detected in TNS isolates.

CONCLUSION

A correlation between tigecycline MIC and expression level of adeB and adeJ was identified. The influence of adeRS mutation on adeB expression was limited. Global regulators marR and soxR may be involved in tigecycline resistance.

Loop-to-helix transition in the structure of multidrug regulator AcrR at the entrance of the drug-binding cavity

Multidrug transcription regulator AcrR from Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium str. LT2 belongs to the tetracycline repressor family, one of the largest groups of bacterial transcription factors. The crystal structure of dimeric AcrR was determined and refined to 1.56Å resolution. The tertiary and quaternary structures of AcrR are similar to those of its homologs. The multidrug binding site was identified based on structural alignment with homologous proteins and has a di(hydroxyethyl)ether molecule bound. Residues from helices α4 and α7 shape the entry into this binding site. The structure of AcrR reveals that the extended helical conformation of helix α4 is stabilized by the hydrogen bond between Glu67 (helix α4) and Gln130 (helix α7). Based on the structural comparison with the closest homolog structure, the Escherichia coli AcrR, we propose that this hydrogen bond is responsible for control of the loop-to-helix transition within helix α4. This local conformational switch of helix α4 may be a key step in accessing the multidrug binding site and securing ligands at the binding site. Solution small-molecule binding studies suggest that AcrR binds ligands with their core chemical structure resembling the tetracyclic ring of cholesterol.

Efflux systems in bacteria and their metabolic engineering applications

The production of valuable chemicals from metabolically engineered microbes can be limited by excretion from the cell. Efflux is often overlooked as a bottleneck in metabolic pathways, despite its impact on alleviating feedback inhibition and product toxicity. In the past, it has been assumed that endogenous efflux pumps and membrane porins can accommodate product efflux rates; however, there are an increasing number of examples wherein overexpressing efflux systems is required to improve metabolite production. In this review, we highlight specific examples from the literature where metabolite export has been studied to identify unknown transporters, increase tolerance to metabolites, and improve the production capabilities of engineered bacteria. The review focuses on the export of a broad spectrum of valuable chemicals including amino acids, sugars, flavins, biofuels, and solvents. The combined set of examples supports the hypothesis that efflux systems can be identified and engineered to confer export capabilities on industrially relevant microbes.

A proteomic approach to understand the role of the outer membrane porins in the organic solvent-tolerance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PseA

Solvent-tolerant microbes have the unique ability to thrive in presence of organic solvents. The present study describes the effect of increasing hydrophobicity (log Pow values) of organic solvents on the outer membrane proteome of the solvent-tolerant Pseudomonas aeruginosa PseA cells. The cells were grown in a medium containing 33% (v/v) alkanes of increasing log Pow values. The outer membrane proteins were extracted by alkaline extraction from the late log phase cells and changes in the protein expression were studied by 2-D gel electrophoresis. Seven protein spots showed significant differential expression in the solvent exposed cells. The tryptic digest of the differentially regulated proteins were identified by LC-ESI MS/MS. The identity of these proteins matched with porins OprD, OprE, OprF, OprH, Opr86, LPS assembly protein and A-type flagellin. The reported pI values of these proteins were in the range of 4.94-8.67 and the molecular weights were in the range of 19.5-104.5 kDa. The results suggest significant down-regulation of the A-type flagellin, OprF and OprD and up-regulation of OprE, OprH, Opr86 and LPS assembly protein in presence of organic solvents. OprF and OprD are implicated in antibiotic uptake and outer membrane stability, whereas A-type flagellin confers motility and chemotaxis. Up-regulated OprE is an anaerobically-induced porin while Opr86 is responsible for transport of small molecules and assembly of the outer membrane proteins. Differential regulation of the above porins clearly indicates their role in adaptation to solvent exposure.

Furfural and hydroxymethylfurfural tolerance in Escherichia coli ΔacrR regulatory mutants

The presence of the highly toxic furfural and hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) in the hydrolysate of lignocellulosic biomass prompted the investigation of the Escherichia coli ΔacrR regulatory mutant for higher tolerance to these compounds, to facilitate the production of biofuels and biochemicals, and further biocatalytic conversions. In comparison with the parental strain, the regulatory mutant with the upregulated efflux pump AcrAB-TolC produced moderately better growth and higher tolerance to concentrations of furfural and HMF between 1 and 2 g L(-1) .

Improvement of organic solvent tolerance by disruption of the lon gene in Escherichia coli

The Lon ATP-dependent protease plays an important role in regulating many biological processes in bacteria. In this study, we examined the organic solvent tolerance of a Δlon mutant of Escherichia coli K-12 and found that the mutant showed remarkably higher organic solvent tolerance than the parent strain. Δlon mutants are known to overproduce capsular polysaccharide, resulting in the formation of mucoid colonies. We considered that this increase in capsular polysaccharide production might be involved in the organic solvent tolerance in E. coli. However, a ΔlonΔwcaJ double-gene mutant displaying a nonmucoid phenotype was as tolerant to organic solvents as the Δlon mutant, suggesting that capsular polysaccharide is not involved in organic solvent tolerance. On the other hand, the Lon protease is known to exhibit proteolytic activity against the transcriptional activators MarA and SoxS, which can enhance the expression level of the AcrAB-TolC efflux pump. We found that the Δlon mutant showed a higher expression level of AcrB than the parent strain. In addition, the ΔlonΔacrB double-gene mutant showed a significant decrease in organic solvent tolerance. Thus, it was shown that organic solvent tolerance in the Δlon mutant depends on the AcrAB-TolC pump but not capsular polysaccharide. E. coli strain JA300 acrRIS marR overexpresses the AcrAB-TolC pump and exhibits high-level solvent tolerance. In an attempt to further improve the solvent tolerance of JA300 acrRIS marR, a lon gene disruptant of this strain was constructed. However, the resulting mutant JA300 acrRIS marR Δlon showed lower solvent tolerance than JA300 acrRIS marR.

Resistance to ceftazidime in Escherichia coli associated with AcrR, MarR and PBP3 mutations and overexpression of sdiA

The mechanisms responsible for the increase in ceftazidime MIC in two Escherichia coli in vitro selected mutants, Caz/20-1 and Caz/20-2, were studied. OmpF loss and overexpression of acrB, acrD and acrF that were associated with acrR and marR mutations and sdiA overexpression, together with mutations A233T and I332V in FtSI (PBP3) resulted in ceftazidime resistance in Caz/20-2, multiplying by 128-fold the ceftazidime MIC in the parental clinical isolate PS/20. Absence of detectable β-lactamase hydrolytic activity in the crude extract of Caz/20-2 was observed, and coincided with Q191K and P209S mutations in AmpC and a nucleotide substitution at −28 in the ampC promoter, whereas β-lactamase hydrolytic activity in crude extracts of PS/20 and Caz/20-1 strains was detected. Nevertheless, a fourfold increase in ceftazidime MIC in Caz/20-1 compared with that in PS/20 was due to the increased transcript level of acrB derived from acrR mutation. The two Caz mutants and PS/20 showed the same mutations in AmpG and ParE.

MarA, SoxS and Rob of Escherichia coli - Global regulators of multidrug resistance, virulence and stress response

Bacteria have a great capacity for adjusting their metabolism in response to environmental changes by linking extracellular stimuli to the regulation of genes by transcription factors. By working in a co-operative manner, transcription factors provide a rapid response to external threats, allowing the bacteria to survive. This review will focus on transcription factors MarA, SoxS and Rob in Escherichia coli, three members of the AraC family of proteins. These homologous proteins exemplify the ability to respond to multiple threats such as oxidative stress, drugs and toxic compounds, acidic pH, and host antimicrobial peptides. MarA, SoxS and Rob recognize similar DNA sequences in the promoter region of more than 40 regulatory target genes. As their regulons overlap, a finely tuned adaptive response allows E. coli to survive in the presence of different assaults in a co-ordinated manner. These regulators are well conserved amongst Enterobacteriaceae and due to their broad involvement in bacterial adaptation in the host, have recently been explored as targets to develop new anti-virulence agents. The regulators are also being examined for their roles in novel technologies such as biofuel production.