Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 31, 2025
08:58
Isolation and Identification of Waterborne Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria and Molecular Characterization of their Antibiotic Resistance Genes
Published on: March 3, 2023
6.3K
Antibiotic resistance mediated by gene amplifications.
Kalinga Pavan T Silva1, Anupama Khare2
1Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
Npj Antimicrobials and Resistance
|January 22, 2025
Summary
Gene amplification, or tandem repeat formation, drives antibiotic resistance by increasing resistance gene expression. This unstable, hard-to-detect resistance mechanism, known as heteroresistance, is crucial for understanding antimicrobial resistance evolution.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Genetics
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Antibiotic resistance is a growing global health threat.
- Mechanisms of resistance include horizontal gene transfer, mutations, and gene amplification.
- Gene amplification, the formation of tandem repeats, contributes to antibiotic resistance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the diverse pathways by which gene amplifications cause antibiotic resistance.
- To discuss how gene amplifications lead to resistance beyond increased copy number.
- To highlight the importance of understanding amplification-driven resistance for combating antimicrobial resistance.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies on gene amplification and antibiotic resistance.
- Analysis of mechanisms including efflux, target modification, and bypass.
- Discussion of regulatory and protein structure alterations contributing to resistance.
Main Results:
- Gene amplifications increase resistance determinant expression via higher copy numbers.
- Amplifications can cause resistance through efflux, antibiotic modification, target alteration, and bypass.
- Resistance via amplification is unstable and leads to heteroresistance.
Conclusions:
- Gene amplifications are a significant, albeit unstable, driver of antibiotic resistance.
- Understanding these mechanisms is vital for developing strategies against rising antimicrobial resistance.
- Further research into amplification-driven resistance is critical for effective treatment strategies.
Related Concept Videos
00:57Antibiotic Selection
52.2K
Overview
52.2K
01:33Bacterial Transformation
55.1K
In 1928, bacteriologist Frederick Griffith worked on a vaccine for pneumonia, which is caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria. Griffith studied two pneumonia strains in mice: one pathogenic and one non-pathogenic. Only the pathogenic strain killed host mice.
Griffith made an unexpected discovery when he killed the pathogenic strain and mixed its remains with the live, non-pathogenic strain. Not only did the mixture kill host mice, but it also contained living pathogenic bacteria that...
Griffith made an unexpected discovery when he killed the pathogenic strain and mixed its remains with the live, non-pathogenic strain. Not only did the mixture kill host mice, but it also contained living pathogenic bacteria that...
55.1K
00:46Genomic DNA in Prokaryotes
43.4K
The genome of most prokaryotic organisms consists of double-stranded DNA organized into one circular chromosome in a region of cytoplasm called the nucleoid. The chromosome is tightly wound, or supercoiled, for efficient storage. Prokaryotes also contain other circular pieces of DNA called plasmids. These plasmids are smaller than the chromosome and often carry genes that confer adaptive functions, such as antibiotic resistance.
Genomic Diversity in Bacteria
Although bacterial genomes are much...
Genomic Diversity in Bacteria
Although bacterial genomes are much...
43.4K
03:21Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes
7.8K
While every living organism has a genome of some kind (be it RNA, or DNA), there is considerable variation in the sizes of these blueprints. One major factor that impacts genome size is whether the organism is prokaryotic or eukaryotic. In prokaryotes, the genome contains little to no non-coding sequence, such that genes are tightly clustered in groups or operons sequentially along the chromosome. Conversely, the genes in eukaryotes are punctuated by long stretches of non-coding sequence.
7.8K
02:46Genome Copying Errors
4.1K
DNA replication is a well-evolved process that copies millions of base pairs with high fidelity during each cell division. Occasionally a wrong base or a long stretch of wrong bases may get added to the daughter strands. If the errors are left unchecked, cells might accumulate several mutations that might endanger their survival. Therefore, the copying errors are checked and repaired at three levels.
4.1K
02:56Treatment Resistant Cancers
3.2K
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. A cancer cell is genetically unstable and hence can mutate faster. They can also modify their microenvironment and escape immune surveillance. The difficulties in treating cancer are further compounded by the emergence of rapid resistance to anticancer drugs. The most common ways to attain resistance in cancer cells include alteration in drug transport and metabolism, modification of drug target, elevated DNA damage response, or...
3.2K