The MerR-like regulator BrlR confers biofilm tolerance by activating multidrug efflux pumps in Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms.

ABSTRACT: A defining characteristic of biofilms is antibiotic tolerance that can be up to 1,000-fold greater than that of planktonic cells. In Pseudomonas aeruginosa, biofilm tolerance to antimicrobial agents requires the biofilm-specific MerR-type transcriptional regulator BrlR. However, the mechanism by which BrlR mediates biofilm tolerance has not been elucidated. Genome-wide transcriptional profiling indicated that brlR was required for maximal expression of genes associated with antibiotic resistance, in particular those encoding the multidrug efflux pumps MexAB-OprM and MexEF-OprN. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) analysis revealed a direct regulation of these genes by BrlR, with DNA binding assays confirming BrlR binding to the promoter regions of the mexAB-oprM and mexEF-oprN operons. Qu

SUBMITTER: Liao J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3719540 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature