Papers

Peer-reviewed Last author
Nov 23, 2022

Deciphering the genetic network and programmed regulation of antimicrobial resistance in bacterial pathogens

Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
  • Thandavarayan Ramamurthy
  • ,
  • Amit Ghosh
  • ,
  • Goutam Chowdhury
  • ,
  • Asish K. Mukhopadhyay
  • ,
  • Shanta Dutta
  • ,
  • Shin-inchi Miyoshi

Volume
12
Number
Language
Publishing type
Research paper (scientific journal)
DOI
10.3389/fcimb.2022.952491
Publisher
Frontiers Media SA

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in bacteria is an important global health problem affecting humans, animals, and the environment. AMR is considered as one of the major components in the “global one health”. Misuse/overuse of antibiotics in any one of the segments can impact the integrity of the others. In the presence of antibiotic selective pressure, bacteria tend to develop several defense mechanisms, which include structural changes of the bacterial outer membrane, enzymatic processes, gene upregulation, mutations, adaptive resistance, and biofilm formation. Several components of mobile genetic elements (MGEs) play an important role in the dissemination of AMR. Each one of these components has a specific function that lasts long, irrespective of any antibiotic pressure. Integrative and conjugative elements (ICEs), insertion sequence elements (ISs), and transposons carry the antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) on different genetic backbones. Successful transfer of ARGs depends on the class of plasmids, regulons, ISs proximity, and type of recombination systems. Additionally, phage-bacterial networks play a major role in the transmission of ARGs, especially in bacteria from the environment and foods of animal origin. Several other functional attributes of bacteria also get successfully modified to acquire ARGs. These include efflux pumps, toxin-antitoxin systems, regulatory small RNAs, guanosine pentaphosphate signaling, quorum sensing, two-component system, and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) systems. The metabolic and virulence state of bacteria is also associated with a range of genetic and phenotypic resistance mechanisms. In spite of the availability of a considerable information on AMR, the network associations between selection pressures and several of the components mentioned above are poorly understood. Understanding how a pathogen resists and regulates the ARGs in response to antimicrobials can help in controlling the development of resistance. Here, we provide an overview of the importance of genetic network and regulation of AMR in bacterial pathogens.

Link information
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2022.952491
URL
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2022.952491/full
ID information
  • DOI : 10.3389/fcimb.2022.952491
  • eISSN : 2235-2988

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