In vitro studies indicate a high resistance potential for the lantibiotic nisin in Staphylococcus aureus and define a genetic basis for nisin resistance.

ABSTRACT: Lantibiotics such as nisin (NIS) are peptide antibiotics that may have a role in the chemotherapy of bacterial infections. A perceived benefit of lantibiotics for clinical use is their low propensity to select resistance, although detailed resistance studies with relevant bacterial pathogens are lacking. Here we examined the development of resistance to NIS in Staphylococcus aureus, establishing that mutants, including small-colony variants, exhibiting substantial (4- to 32-fold) reductions in NIS susceptibility could be selected readily. Comparative genome sequencing of a single NISr mutant exhibiting a 32-fold increase in NIS MIC revealed the presence of only two mutations, leading to the substitutions V229G in the purine operon repressor, PurR, and A208E in an uncharacterized protein en

SUBMITTER: Blake KL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3088262 | biostudies-literature | 2011 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature