抗生素抗性基因连锁传播的侧翼保守元件分析

抗生素在医疗、畜牧和水产养殖业的大量使用造成了环境中耐药细菌和抗性基因的日益增加,也加速了抗性基因在环境细菌间的传播扩散.本研究以环境样本直接提取的总DNA为模板,运用热不对称交错PCR (thermal asymmetric interlaced PCR, Tail-PCR)技术直接扩增抗生素抗性基因上下游序列.通过优化Tail-PCR反应程序,单循环同时扩增出tetW基因的多条侧翼序列,包括6条上游序列和9条下游序列.基于序列的生物信息学分析发现,上游包括一段反向重复序列和已知的一段tetW调节肽序列以及一个已知的插入序列,下游包括一个保守的未知序列和一个开放式阅读框架(the open reading frame,ORF)编码甲基转移酶.结果不仅发现了可能协助tetW基因传播的功能元件,也提供了一个未知侧翼序列高效和便捷的研究方法,即采用Tail-PCR技术,一组样品即能便捷获得多条侧翼序列.     

Reservoirs of antibiotic resistance genes

A potential concern about the use of antibiotics in animal husbundary is that, as antibiotic resistant bacteria move from the farm into the human diet, they may pass antibiotic resistance genes to bacteria that normally reside in a the human intestinal tract and from there to bacteria that cause human disease (reservoir hypothesis). In this article various approaches to evaluating the risk of agricultural use of antibiotics are assessed critically. In addition, the potential benefits of applying new technology and using new insights from the field of microbial ecology are explained.     

A global view of antibiotic resistance

Antibiotic resistance is one of the few examples of evolution that can be addressed experimentally. The present review analyses this resistance, focusing on the networks that regulate its acquisition and its effect on bacterial physiology. It is widely accepted that antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes play fundamental ecological roles – as weapons and shields, respectively – in shaping the structures of microbial communities. Although this Darwinian view of the role of antibiotics is still valid, recent work indicates that antibiotics and resistance mechanisms may play other ecological roles and strongly influence bacterial physiology. The expression of antibiotic resistance determinants must therefore be tightly regulated and their activity forms part of global metabolic networks. In addition, certain bacterial modes of life can trigger transient phenotypic antibiotic resistance under some circumstances. Understanding resistance thus requires the analysis of the regulatory networks controlling bacterial evolvability, the physiological webs affected and the metabolic rewiring it incurs.     

耐药基因数据库概述

抗生素是人类历史上的革命性发现,其临床应用挽救了无数患者的生命。但是随着抗生素的广泛使用和滥用,越来越多的病原菌产生了耐药性,甚至出现了具有多重耐药性的"超级细菌"。在人类与病原菌斗争的军备竞赛中,人类即将面临无药可用的境地。针对微生物的耐药性、耐药机制及耐药性传播的研究吸引了众多科研工作者的目光,各种耐药基因数据库以及耐药基因分析工具应运而生。文中对目前耐药领域的基因数据库进行收集整理,从数据库类型、数据特征、耐药基因预测模型以及可分析序列的类型等方面对这些数据库进行论述和介绍。此外,文中对抗金属离子和抗杀菌剂的基因数据库也有所涉及,将为如何选择及使用耐药基因数据库提供参考和帮助。     

Bacterial perspectives on the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes in domestic wastewater bio-treatment systems: beneficiary to victim

Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology - Domestic wastes, ranging from sewage and sludge to municipal solid waste, are usually treated in bioprocessing systems. These systems are regarded as main...     

抗生素抗性基因在环境中的传播扩散及抗性研究方法

抗生素在医药、畜牧和水产养殖业的大量使用造成了环境中抗性耐药菌和抗性基因日益增加,抗生素抗性基因作为一种新型环境污染物引起人们的广泛关注.本文综述了近年来国内外有关抗生素抗性基因的研究进展,其在水、土壤、空气等环境介质中和动,植物体内的传播扩散,以及开展环境中抗生素抗性基因研究的必要性,重点介绍了有关抗生素抗性（包括抗性细菌和抗性基因）的研究方法,指出抗性基因研究中存在的问题,并对未来的相关研究进行了展望.     

Evolution and ecology of antibiotic resistance genes

A new perspective on the topic of antibiotic resistance is beginning to emerge based on a broader evolutionary and ecological understanding rather than from the traditional boundaries of clinical research of antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens. Phylogenetic insights into the evolution and diversity of several antibiotic resistance genes suggest that at least some of these genes have a long evolutionary history of diversification that began well before the 'antibiotic era'. Besides, there is no indication that lateral gene transfer from antibiotic-producing bacteria has played any significant role in shaping the pool of antibiotic resistance genes in clinically relevant and commensal bacteria. Most likely, the primary antibiotic resistance gene pool originated and diversified within the environmental bacterial communities, from which the genes were mobilized and penetrated into taxonomically and ecologically distant bacterial populations, including pathogens. Dissemination and penetration of antibiotic resistance genes from antibiotic producers were less significant and essentially limited to other high G+C bacteria. Besides direct selection by antibiotics, there is a number of other factors that may contribute to dissemination and maintenance of antibiotic resistance genes in bacterial populations.     

Genetic elements involved in Tn21 site-specific integration, a novel mechanism for the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes.

Transposon Tn21 codes for a site-specific integration system, which is probably a novel recombination mechanism, responsible for the acquisition of resistance genes in this widespread family of transposons. Using insertion and deletion mutagenesis we have identified the genetic loci of the various recombination hot-spots (RHS) and of the gene product (the integrase) that catalyses the reaction. The site of recombination has been localized in two of the RHSs to the DNA sequence GTTAG, which is present at the 3' termini of a loosely conserved palindromic sequence of approximately 59 bp. This 59 bp sequence, which flanks the inserted genes in a number of naturally occurring transposons, is the only element required in cis for the recombination reaction.     

养猪场空气中抗性基因和条件致病菌污染特征

养殖场空气中含有较高浓度的抗生素抗性基因和条件致病菌,对人畜健康具有潜在威胁.采用中流量TSP采样器在某养猪场的生活区、猪舍内和猪舍外3个地点分别采样24 h和48 h,并采集猪舍内的饲料、粪便和饮水添加剂样品.采用普通PCR检测样品中的3类抗生素抗性基因(大环内酯类、β-内酰胺类、四环素类各3个基因)和7种致病菌/条件致病菌基因(弯曲杆菌属、产气荚膜梭菌、肠球菌属、大肠杆菌、小肠结肠炎耶尔森菌、葡萄球菌属和猪链球菌);选取检出率较高的6种基因,采用荧光定量PCR对其浓度进行测定.结果表明: 空气中大环内酯类抗性基因检出了3个,四环素类检出了2个,肠球菌、大肠杆菌、小肠结肠炎耶尔森菌、葡萄球菌等4种条件致病菌在空气样品中和饮水添加剂中都被检测到.绝大部分目的基因的浓度均在10⁴ copies·m^-3以上,并且猪舍附近浓度远高于生活区;猪场内主要的抗生素抗性基因和条件致病菌的可能来源是猪粪便和饮水添加剂.在养猪场内采样24 h即可满足PCR检测要求;在生活区采样48 h的采样效率高于采样24 h,而在猪舍外和猪舍内采样24 h的效率高于采样48 h.     

Population biology of Gram-positive pathogens: high-risk clones for dissemination of antibiotic resistance

Infections caused by multiresistant Gram-positive bacteria represent a major health burden in the community as well as in hospitalized patients. Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium are well-known pathogens of hospitalized patients, frequently linked with resistance against multiple antibiotics, compromising effective therapy. Streptococcus pneumoniae and Streptococcus pyogenes are important pathogens in the community and S. aureus has recently emerged as an important community-acquired pathogen. Population genetic studies reveal that recombination prevails as a driving force of genetic diversity in E. faecium, E. faecalis, S. pneumoniae and S. pyogenes, and thus, these species are weakly clonal. Although recombination has a relatively modest role driving the genetic variation of the core genome of S. aureus, the horizontal acquisition of resistance and virulence genes plays a key role in the emergence of new clinically relevant clones in this species. In this review, we discuss the population genetics of E. faecium, E. faecalis, S. pneumoniae, S. pyogenes and S. aureus. Knowledge of the population structure of these pathogens is not only highly relevant for (molecular) epidemiological research but also for identifying the genetic variation that underlies changes in clinical behaviour, to improve our understanding of the pathogenic behaviour of particular clones and to identify novel targets for vaccines or immunotherapy.     

Nonnutritive sweeteners can promote the dissemination of antibiotic resistance through conjugative gene transfer

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a worldwide threat to human health and biosecurity. The spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) via conjugative plasmid transfer is a major contributor to the evolution of this resistance. Although permitted as safe food additives, compounds such as saccharine, sucralose, aspartame, and acesulfame potassium that are commonly used as nonnutritive sweeteners have recently been associated with shifts in the gut microbiota similar to those caused by antibiotics. As antibiotics can promote the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), we hypothesize that these nonnutritive sweeteners could have a similar effect. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that saccharine, sucralose, aspartame, and acesulfame potassium could promote plasmid-mediated conjugative transfer in three established conjugation models between the same and different phylogenetic strains. The real-time dynamic conjugation process was visualized at the single-cell level. Bacteria exposed to the tested compounds exhibited increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, the SOS response, and gene transfer. In addition, cell membrane permeability increased in both parental bacteria under exposure to the tested compounds. The expression of genes involved in ROS detoxification, the SOS response, and cell membrane permeability was significantly upregulated under sweetener treatment. In conclusion, exposure to nonnutritive sweeteners enhances conjugation in bacteria. Our findings provide insight into AMR spread and indicate the potential risk associated with the presence of nonnutritive sweeteners.Subject terms: Microbial ecology, Water microbiology     

抗生素抗性基因的生态风险研究进展

自抗生素被发现和使用以来,其在人类和动物疾病预防与治疗、提高动物生产等方面均发挥了重要作用。但抗生素的批量生产及大量应用,特别是在养殖业和临床医疗上的滥用,导致抗生素抗性基因(ARGs)在环境中普遍存在,其借助质粒、转座子、整合子等可移动元件通过接合、转座、转化等方式在环境中广泛传播,导致微生物药性不断增强,对人类健康和生态安全造成严重威胁。当前,ARGs对人类健康的影响已受到高度关注,但有关ARGs在环境中的生态风险研究还相对薄弱。本文综述了ARGs污染的现状及其生态风险,并对该领域中未来研究重点进行了展望,以期为今后抗性基因的研究和生态防控提供参考。     

Removal of antibiotic resistance genes from transgenic tobacco plastids

Removal of antibiotic resistance genes from genetically modified (GM) crops removes the risk of their transfer to the environment or gut microbes. Integration of foreign genes into plastid DNA enhances containment in crops that inherit their plastids maternally. Efficient plastid transformation requires the aadA marker gene, which confers resistance to the antibiotics spectinomycin and streptomycin. We have exploited plastid DNA recombination and cytoplasmic sorting to remove aadA from transplastomic tobacco plants. A 4.9 kbp insert, composed of aadA flanked by bar and uidA genes, was integrated into plastid DNA and selected to remove wild-type plastid genomes. The bar gene confers tolerance to the herbicide glufosinate despite being GC-rich. Excision of aadA and uidA mediated by two 174 bp direct repeats generated aadA-free T(0) transplastomic plants containing the bar gene. Removal of aadA and bar by three 418 bp direct repeats allowed the isolation of marker-free T(2) plants containing a plastid-located uidA reporter gene.     

食物链中抗生素耐药性基因的转移

抗生素的使用,一方面起到预防和治疗疾病的作用,另一方面,饲料、食品和环境中抗生素残留增加,使抗生素耐药性菌产生并进化,从而导致将来治疗某些疾病时无有效抗生素可用,比如,结核病已经卷土重来,而且现在就有许多患者就不能用抗生素治愈。随着人们生活水平的提高,安全、健康问题受到人们广泛的关注和重视。本文初步对耐药性基因在食物链中怎样产生和转移进行综述。     

Genome analysis of probiotic bacteria for antibiotic resistance genes

To date, probiotic bacteria are used in the diet and have various clinical applications. There are reports of antibiotic resistance genes in these bacteria that can transfer to other commensal and pathogenic bacteria. The aim of this study was to use whole-genome sequence analysis to identify antibiotic resistance genes in a group of bacterial with probiotic properties. Also, this study followed existing issues about the importance and presence of antibiotic resistance genes in these bacteria and the dangers that may affect human health in the future. In the current study, a collection of 126 complete probiotic bacterial genomes was analyzed for antibiotic resistance genes. The results of the current study showed that there are various resistance genes in these bacteria that some of them are transferable to other bacteria. The tet(W) tetracycline resistance gene was more than other antibiotic resistance genes in these bacteria and this gene was found in Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus. In our study, the most numbers of antibiotic resistance genes were transferred with mobile genetic elements. We propose that probiotic companies before the use of a micro-organism as a probiotic, perform an antibiotic susceptibility testing for a large number of antibiotics. Also, they perform analysis of complete genome sequence for prediction of antibiotic resistance genes.

     

转基因植物中抗生素抗性基因的安全性评价

20世纪80年代以来,植物转基因技术取得突飞猛进的进展。转基因植物大量出现,带来了巨大的经济效益和社会效益。与此同时,转基因植物的释放可能带来的风险也越来越受到人们的重视,抗生素抗性基因是筛选转基因植物的常用基因,其安全性引起了人们的普遍关注,作者就转基因植物中抗生素抗性基因的安全性作一综述。     

九龙江河口及厦门污水处理设施抗生素抗性基因污染分析

【目的】近年来由于抗生素的滥用,导致了多药物抗性超级细菌的产生,有关抗生素抗性基因(Antibiotic resistance genes,ARGs)在环境介质中分布、迁移和扩散已经引起人们的广泛关注。针对九龙江河口及厦门污水处理设施抗生素抗性基因污染情况开展研究。【方法】通过定性PCR研究九龙江河口水体、沉积物和厦门污水处理设施活性污泥中4种磺胺类、13种四环素类ARGs及2种整合子基因的污染情况,并选择四环素类tet(W)基因进行克隆文库测序分析。【结果】除tet(O)和tet(S)外,其他基因均被检出。不同环境介质中的ARGs及整合子基因检出率为活性污泥(0.86)>沉积物(0.57)>水体(0.24)。在淡水和淡盐水中,sul(l)、int(1)、tet(A)、tet(C)、tet(E)、tet(M)和tet(W)的检出率要高于海水,表明九龙江上游可能是ARGs的污染源之一。【结论】主成分分析表明污水处理设施是ARGs的高发载体;沉积物是ARGs的稳定载体;而水体中的ARGs易于分解。此外,tet(W)基因克隆文库分析表明,厦门污水处理设施也可能是九龙江河口及厦门沿岸的ARG污染源。