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Beta-lactam resistance response triggered by inactivation of a nonessential penicillin-binding protein.
Moya, Bartolomé Dötsch, Andreas Juan, Carlos Blázquez, Jesús Zamorano, Laura Haussler, Susanne Oliver, Antonio
Moya, Bartolomé
Dötsch, Andreas
Juan, Carlos
Blázquez, Jesús
Zamorano, Laura
Haussler, Susanne
Oliver, Antonio
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2009-03
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Abstract
It has long been recognized that the modification of penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) to reduce their affinity for beta-lactams is an important mechanism (target modification) by which Gram-positive cocci acquire antibiotic resistance. Among Gram-negative rods (GNR), however, this mechanism has been considered unusual, and restricted to clinically irrelevant laboratory mutants for most species. Using as a model Pseudomonas aeruginosa, high up on the list of pathogens causing life-threatening infections in hospitalized patients worldwide, we show that PBPs may also play a major role in beta-lactam resistance in GNR, but through a totally distinct mechanism. Through a detailed genetic investigation, including whole-genome analysis approaches, we demonstrate that high-level (clinical) beta-lactam resistance in vitro, in vivo, and in the clinical setting is driven by the inactivation of the dacB-encoded nonessential PBP4, which behaves as a trap target for beta-lactams. The inactivation of this PBP is shown to determine a highly efficient and complex beta-lactam resistance response, triggering overproduction of the chromosomal beta-lactamase AmpC and the specific activation of the CreBC (BlrAB) two-component regulator, which in turn plays a major role in resistance. These findings are a major step forward in our understanding of beta-lactam resistance biology, and, more importantly, they open up new perspectives on potential antibiotic targets for the treatment of infectious diseases.
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Beta-lactam resistance response triggered by inactivation of a nonessential penicillin-binding protein. 2009, 5 (3):e1000353 PLoS Pathog.
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en
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1553-7374