Conjugative transfer of antibiotic resistance genes(ARGs)by plasmids is an important route for ARG dissemination.An increasing number of antibiotic and nonantibiotic compounds have been reported to aid the spread of A...Conjugative transfer of antibiotic resistance genes(ARGs)by plasmids is an important route for ARG dissemination.An increasing number of antibiotic and nonantibiotic compounds have been reported to aid the spread of ARGs,highlighting potential challenges for controlling this type of horizontal transfer.Development of conjugation inhibitors that block or delay the transfer of ARG-bearing plasmids is a promising strategy to control the propagation of antibiotic resistance.Although such inhibitors are rare,they typically exhibit relatively high toxicity and low efficacy in vivo and their mechanisms of action are inadequately understood.Here,we studied the effects of dihydroartemisinin(DHA),an artemisinin derivative used to treat malaria,on conjugation.DHA inhibited the conjugation of the IncI2 and IncX4 plasmids carrying the mobile colistin resistance gene(mcr-1)by more than 160-fold in vitro in Escherichia coli,and more than two-fold(IncI2 plasmid)in vivo in a mouse model.It also suppressed the transfer of the IncX3 plasmid carrying the carbapenem resistance gene bla_(NDM-5)by more than twofold in vitro.Detection of intracellular adenosine triphosphate(ATP)and proton motive force(PMF),in combination with transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses,revealed that DHA impaired the function of the electron transport chain(ETC)by inhibiting the tricarboxylic acid(TCA)cycle pathway,thereby disrupting PMF and limiting the availability of intracellular ATP for plasmid conjugative transfer.Furthermore,expression levels of genes related to conjugation and pilus generation were significantly down-regulated during DHA exposure,indicating that the transfer apparatus for conjugation may be inhibited.Our findings provide new insights into the control of antibiotic resistance and the potential use of DHA.展开更多
An extensively drug-resistant(XDR)Escherichia coli strain 258E was isolated from an anal swab sample of a chicken farm of Anhui province in China.Genomic analyses indicated that the strain 258E harbors an incompatibil...An extensively drug-resistant(XDR)Escherichia coli strain 258E was isolated from an anal swab sample of a chicken farm of Anhui province in China.Genomic analyses indicated that the strain 258E harbors an incompatibility group N(IncN)plasmid pEC258-3,which co-produces bla_(CTX-M-3),bla_(KPC-2),bla_(TEM-1B),qnrS1,aac(6')-Ib-cr,dfrA14,arr-3,and aac(6')-Ib3.Multiple genome arrangement analyses indicated that pEC258-3 is highly homologous with pCRKP-1-KPC discovered in Klebsiella pneumoniae from a patient.Furthermore,conjugation experiments proved that plasmid pEC258-3 can be transferred horizontally and may pose a significant potential threat in animals,community and hospital settings.展开更多
基金supported in part by grants from the Laboratory of Lingnan Modern Agriculture Project (NT2021006)National Key Research and Development Program of China (2022YFD1800400)。
文摘Conjugative transfer of antibiotic resistance genes(ARGs)by plasmids is an important route for ARG dissemination.An increasing number of antibiotic and nonantibiotic compounds have been reported to aid the spread of ARGs,highlighting potential challenges for controlling this type of horizontal transfer.Development of conjugation inhibitors that block or delay the transfer of ARG-bearing plasmids is a promising strategy to control the propagation of antibiotic resistance.Although such inhibitors are rare,they typically exhibit relatively high toxicity and low efficacy in vivo and their mechanisms of action are inadequately understood.Here,we studied the effects of dihydroartemisinin(DHA),an artemisinin derivative used to treat malaria,on conjugation.DHA inhibited the conjugation of the IncI2 and IncX4 plasmids carrying the mobile colistin resistance gene(mcr-1)by more than 160-fold in vitro in Escherichia coli,and more than two-fold(IncI2 plasmid)in vivo in a mouse model.It also suppressed the transfer of the IncX3 plasmid carrying the carbapenem resistance gene bla_(NDM-5)by more than twofold in vitro.Detection of intracellular adenosine triphosphate(ATP)and proton motive force(PMF),in combination with transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses,revealed that DHA impaired the function of the electron transport chain(ETC)by inhibiting the tricarboxylic acid(TCA)cycle pathway,thereby disrupting PMF and limiting the availability of intracellular ATP for plasmid conjugative transfer.Furthermore,expression levels of genes related to conjugation and pilus generation were significantly down-regulated during DHA exposure,indicating that the transfer apparatus for conjugation may be inhibited.Our findings provide new insights into the control of antibiotic resistance and the potential use of DHA.
基金the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2018YFE0192600)the Shanghai Agriculture Applied Technology Development Program,China(T20200104)+1 种基金the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities,China(2020JB05)the Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Program of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences(CAAS-ZDRW202203).
文摘An extensively drug-resistant(XDR)Escherichia coli strain 258E was isolated from an anal swab sample of a chicken farm of Anhui province in China.Genomic analyses indicated that the strain 258E harbors an incompatibility group N(IncN)plasmid pEC258-3,which co-produces bla_(CTX-M-3),bla_(KPC-2),bla_(TEM-1B),qnrS1,aac(6')-Ib-cr,dfrA14,arr-3,and aac(6')-Ib3.Multiple genome arrangement analyses indicated that pEC258-3 is highly homologous with pCRKP-1-KPC discovered in Klebsiella pneumoniae from a patient.Furthermore,conjugation experiments proved that plasmid pEC258-3 can be transferred horizontally and may pose a significant potential threat in animals,community and hospital settings.
