Inhibition of Plasmid Conjugation in Escherichia coli by Targeting rbsB Gene Using CRISPRi System.

ABSTRACT: Bacterial conjugation constitutes a major horizontal gene transfer mechanism for the dissemination of antibiotic-resistant genes (ARGs) among human pathogens. The spread of ARGs can be halted or diminished by interfering with the conjugation process. In this study, we explored the possibility of using an rbsB gene as a single target to inhibit plasmid-mediated horizontal gene transfer in Escherichia coli by CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) system. Three single-guide RNAs (sgRNAs) were designed to target the rbsB gene. The transcriptional levels of the rbsB gene, the conjugation-related genes, and the conjugation efficiency in the CRISPRi strain were tested. We further explored the effect of the repressed expression of the rbsB gene on the quorum sensing (QS)

SUBMITTER: Xiao Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10342112 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature