Antibiotic-induced lateral transfer of antibiotic resistance

doi:10.1016/j.tim.2004.07.003

Trends in Microbiology

Volume 12, Issue 9, September 2004, Pages 401-404

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2004.07.003 Get rights and content

As do many temperate bacteriophages, integrating conjugative elements (ICEs) recruit the SOS DNA damage response to mobilize themselves from the bacterial chromosome and infect other cells. This transfers resistance to multiple antibiotics. Several commonly used antibiotics induce the SOS response, potentially hastening genetic change and the evolution to resistance of pathogenic populations. The use of such antibiotics should be reconsidered.

Section snippets

The SOS DNA damage response, antibiotics, genetic change and resistance

The SOS system (reviewed in Refs. 8, 9) controls a set of approximately 42 genes that share an upstream sequence, known as the SOS box, which is bound by the transcriptional repressor LexA. When single-stranded DNA (ssDNA), a hallmark of DNA damage, is present in a cell, it is bound by RecA to form a nucleoprotein filament – the activated form of the RecA coprotease (RecA^*), which catalyzes the autocleavage of the LexA repressor to a form that no longer binds to the SOS box. The SOS response

Induction of dormant DNA elements

Initially described for bacteriophage λ, many temperate phages (i.e. phages that can lie dormant as a plasmid or by integrating into the host chromosome) are repressed by a phage-encoded repressor that undergoes autocleavage in the presence of RecA^*. The repressor prevents expression of most phage genes and phage replication, so that the virus is passed on as part of the host. Cleavage of the repressor prevents it from binding to the operator and the phage is then induced (i.e. enters the lytic

Concluding remarks

DNA-damaging agents accelerate the evolution of bacterial genomes in several different ways. This should be taken into consideration in the design of antibiotic therapy. Some of the possible precautions are: (i) that the use of SOS-inducing antibiotics might be reduced and confined to situations in which there is no alternative; (ii) that the use of such antibiotics might be limited to closely supervised situations to reduce the chances of incomplete treatment; and (iii) that prophylactic use

Acknowledgements

We thank Joseph Petrosino for comments on the manuscript. Supported by a postdoctoral fellowship from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (AS) and US National Institutes of Health grants R01-GM64022 (PJH) and R01GM53158 (SMR).

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Citation Excerpt :
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Trends in Microbiology

Section snippets

The SOS DNA damage response, antibiotics, genetic change and resistance

Induction of dormant DNA elements

Concluding remarks

Acknowledgements

References (24)

SOS mutator DNA polymerase IV functions in adaptive mutation and not adaptive amplification

Mol. Cell

Adaptive amplification: an inducible chromosomal instability mechanism

Cell

Phage as agents of lateral gene transfer

Curr. Opin. Microbiol.

SOS response promotes horizontal dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes

Nature

Evolving responsively: adaptive mutation

Nat. Rev. Genet.

Adaptive point mutation and adaptive amplification pathways in the E. coli Lac system: stress responses producing genetic change

J. Bacteriol.

Antimicrobials: modes of action and mechanisms of resistance

Int. J. Toxicol.

Origins and evolution of antibiotic resistance

Microbiologia

Conjugative transposons: the tip of the iceberg

Mol. Microbiol.

The SOS response: recent insights into umuDC-dependent mutagenesis and DNA damage tolerance

Annu. Rev. Genet.

Cited by (139)

Towards monitoring of antimicrobial resistance in the environment: For what reasons, how to implement it, and what are the data needs?

Cadmium enhances conjugative plasmid transfer to a fresh water microbial community

Dissecting horizontal and vertical gene transfer of antibiotic resistance plasmid in bacterial community using microfluidics

Effect of antibiotic use and composting on antibiotic resistance gene abundance and resistome risks of soils receiving manure-derived amendments

Metagenomic analysis of bacterial communities and antibiotic resistance genes in the Eriocheir sinensis freshwater aquaculture environment

Prominent Classes of Antibiotics and their Mechanism of Resistance against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Trends in Microbiology

Research FocusAntibiotic-induced lateral transfer of antibiotic resistance

Section snippets

The SOS DNA damage response, antibiotics, genetic change and resistance

Induction of dormant DNA elements

Concluding remarks

Acknowledgements

Mol. Cell

Cell

Curr. Opin. Microbiol.

SOS response promotes horizontal dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes

Nature

Evolving responsively: adaptive mutation

Nat. Rev. Genet.

Adaptive point mutation and adaptive amplification pathways in the E. coli Lac system: stress responses producing genetic change

J. Bacteriol.

Antimicrobials: modes of action and mechanisms of resistance

Int. J. Toxicol.

Origins and evolution of antibiotic resistance

Microbiologia

Conjugative transposons: the tip of the iceberg

Mol. Microbiol.

The SOS response: recent insights into umuDC-dependent mutagenesis and DNA damage tolerance

Annu. Rev. Genet.

Research Focus
Antibiotic-induced lateral transfer of antibiotic resistance