Genes mcr improve the intestinal fitness of pathogenic E. coli and balance their lifestyle to commensalism.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The plasmid-mediated resistance gene mcr-1 confers colistin resistance in Escherichia coli and paves the way for the evolution to pan-drug resistance. We investigated the impact of mcr-1 in gut colonization in the absence of antibiotics using isogenic E. coli strains transformed with a plasmid encoding or devoid of mcr-1.

Results

In gnotobiotic and conventional mice, mcr-1 significantly enhanced intestinal anchoring of E. coli but impaired their lethal effect. This improvement of intestinal fitness was associated with a downregulation of intestinal inflammatory markers and the preservation of intestinal microbiota composition. The mcr-1 gene mediated a cross-resistance to antimicrobial peptides secreted by the microbiota and intestinal epithelial cells (IECs), enh

SUBMITTER: Dalmasso G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9863213 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature