Zinc Blockade of SOS Response Inhibits Horizontal Transfer of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Enteric Bacteria.

ABSTRACT: The SOS response is a conserved response to DNA damage that is found in Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. When DNA damage is sustained and severe, activation of error-prone DNA polymerases can induce a higher mutation rate than is normally observed, which is called the SOS mutator phenotype or hypermutation. We previously showed that zinc blocked the hypermutation response induced by quinolone antibiotics and mitomycin C in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. In this study, we demonstrate that zinc blocks the SOS-induced development of chloramphenicol resistance in Enterobacter cloacae. Zinc also blocked the transfer of an extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) gene from Enterobacter to a susceptible E. coli strain. A zinc ionophore, zinc

SUBMITTER: Crane JK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6258817 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature