Activation of phenotypic subpopulations in response to ciprofloxacin treatment in Acinetobacter baumannii.

ABSTRACT: The multidrug-resistant, opportunistic pathogen, Acinetobacter baumannii, has spread swiftly through hospitals worldwide. Previously, we demonstrated that A. baumannii regulates the expression of various genes in response to DNA damage. Some of these regulated genes, especially those encoding the multiple error-prone DNA polymerases, can be implicated in induced mutagenesis, leading to antibiotic resistance. Here, we further explore the DNA damage-inducible system at the single cell level using chromosomal transcriptional reporters for selected DNA damage response genes. We found the genes examined respond in a bimodal fashion to ciprofloxacin treatment, forming two phenotypic subpopulations: induced and uninduced. This bimodal response to ciprofloxacin treatment in A. baumannii is unique

SUBMITTER: Macguire AE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4005408 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature