A CRISPR-Cas9 system protecting E. coli against acquisition of antibiotic resistance genes.

ABSTRACT: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an increasing problem worldwide, and new treatment options for bacterial infections are direly needed. Engineered probiotics show strong potential in treating or preventing bacterial infections. However, one concern with the use of live bacteria is the risk of the bacteria acquiring genes encoding for AMR or virulence factors through horizontal gene transfer (HGT), and the transformation of the probiotic into a superbug. Therefore, we developed an engineered CRISPR-Cas9 system that protects bacteria from horizontal gene transfer. We synthesized a CRISPR locus targeting eight AMR genes and cloned this with the Cas9 and transacting tracrRNA on a medium copy plasmid. We next evaluated the efficiency of the system to block HGT through transformation, transduct

SUBMITTER: Lee D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11718013 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature