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Updated: Dec 1, 2025
06:30
Using Microtiter Dish Radiolabeling for Multiple In Vivo Measurements Of Escherichia coli pppGpp Followed by Thin Layer Chromatography
Published on: June 4, 2019
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(p)ppGpp Metabolism and Antimicrobial Resistance in Bacterial Pathogens
Bhabatosh Das1, Rupak K Bhadra2
1Infection and Immunology Division, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), Faridabad, India.
Frontiers in Microbiology
|November 9, 2020
Summary
Bacteria use stringent response, regulated by guanosine alarmones (p)ppGpp, to survive environmental stresses. This mechanism influences virulence, persistence, and antibiotic resistance, offering potential therapeutic targets.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Molecular Biology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Microbes face environmental stresses, necessitating adaptive mechanisms like stringent response.
- Stringent response involves guanosine nucleotides (p)ppGpp, regulating bacterial physiology.
- These alarmones are crucial for virulence, persistence, and antimicrobial resistance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the diversity of (p)ppGpp biosynthetic enzymes in bacteria, including enteropathogens.
- To explore signals modulating (p)ppGpp synthetase and hydrolase activity.
- To discuss the role of (p)ppGpp in antibiotic production, resistance, and as therapeutic targets.
Main Methods:
- Review of current literature on (p)ppGpp metabolism and its role in bacterial adaptation.
- Focus on enteropathogens, particularly *Vibrio cholerae*, for detailed analysis.
- Discussion of enzyme classes: RelA, SpoT/Rel/RSH, and SAS.
Main Results:
- Diverse (p)ppGpp biosynthetic enzymes exist across bacterial species.
- (p)ppGpp regulates key physiological processes, including virulence and antibiotic resistance.
- *Vibrio cholerae* exhibits complex (p)ppGpp pathways linked to rapid resistance acquisition.
Conclusions:
- The (p)ppGpp metabolic network is a critical bacterial survival and adaptation system.
- Targeting (p)ppGpp pathways presents a promising strategy for developing novel antibiotics and combating persistent infections.
- Understanding (p)ppGpp regulation is key to addressing antimicrobial resistance challenges.
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