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Abstract
Multidrug-resistant (MDR) Escherichia coli strains are a major global threat to human health, wherein multidrug resistance is primarily spread by MDR plasmid acquisition. MDR plasmids are not widely distributed across the entire E. coli species, but instead are concentrated in a small number of clones. Here, we test if diverse E. coli strains vary in their ability to acquire and maintain MDR plasmids and if this relates to their transcriptional response following plasmid acquisition. We used strains from across the diversity of E. coli strains, including the common MDR lineage sequence type 131 (ST131) and the IncF plasmid pLL35, carrying multiple antibiotic resistance genes. Strains varied in their ability to acquire pLL35 by conjugation, but all were able to stably maintain the plasmid. The effects of pLL35 acquisition on cefotaxime resistance and growth also varied among strains, with growth responses ranging from a small decrease to a small increase in growth of the plasmid carrier relative to the parental strain. Transcriptional responses to pLL35 acquisition were limited in scale and highly strain specific. We observed transcriptional responses at the operon or regulon level-possibly due to stress responses or interactions with resident mobile genetic elements (MGEs). Subtle transcriptional responses consistent across all strains were observed affecting functions, such as anaerobic metabolism, previously shown to be under negative frequency-dependent selection in MDR E. coli. Overall, there was no correlation between the magnitudes of the transcriptional and growth responses across strains. Together, these data suggest that fitness costs arising from transcriptional disruption are unlikely to act as a barrier to dissemination of this MDR plasmid in E. coli.
Original language | English |
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Article number | e00083-21 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | mSystems |
Volume | 6 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 27 Apr 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This work was funded by a BBSRC project grant (BB/R006261/1 and BB/R006253/1) jointly awarded to A.M. and M.B., respectively.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Dunn et al.
Keywords
- Escherichia coli
- transcriptomics
- antimicrobial resistance
- plasmids
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- 1 Finished
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The evolutionary emergence of multidrug resistant bacterial pathogens.
Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council
5/03/18 → 4/03/21
Project: Research Councils