MSGID: 1:317/3 6455d7ef   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    Scientist uncovers roots of antibiotic resistance    
    By understanding how mutations occur, researchers can better understand   
   and develop therapeutics to combat resistant infections    
      
     Date:   
         May 5, 2023   
     Source:   
         University of Central Florida   
     Summary:   
         Microbiologists have uncovered the evolutionary origins of   
         antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in bacteria. His studies on the   
         bacterium that causes cholera, Vibrio cholerae, provide insight   
         into deciphering what conditions must occur for infectious agents   
         to become resistant. He studied genetic variants of a protein   
         found in bacterial membranes called OmpU. Using computational and   
         molecular approaches, his team found that several OmpU mutations in   
         the cholera bacteria led to resistance to numerous antimicrobial   
         agents. This resistance included antimicrobial peptides that act   
         as defenses in the human gut.   
      
      
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   FULL STORY   
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   Bacteria naturally adapt to various environmental stimuli and as they   
   mutate, these changes can make them resistant to drugs that would kill   
   or slow their growth.   
      
   In a recent article published in PLoS Genetics, UCF College of Medicine   
   microbiologist Dr. Salvador Almagro-Moreno uncovers the evolutionary   
   origins of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in bacteria. His studies on   
   the bacterium that causes cholera, Vibrio cholerae, provide insight   
   into deciphering what conditions must occur for infectious agents to   
   become resistant.   
      
   "How AMR occurs in bacterial populations and the pathways leading to   
   these new traits are still poorly understood," he said. "This poses a   
   major public health threat as antimicrobial resistance is on the rise."   
   Dr. Almagro-Moreno studied genetic variants of a protein found in   
   bacterial membranes called OmpU. Using computational and molecular   
   approaches, his team found that several OmpU mutations in the cholera   
   bacteria led to resistance to numerous antimicrobial agents. This   
   resistance included antimicrobial peptides that act as defenses in the   
   human gut. The researchers found that other OmpU variants did not provide   
   these properties, making the protein an ideal system for deciphering   
   the specific processes that occur to make some bacteria resistant to   
   antimicrobials.   
      
   By comparing resistant and antibiotic sensitive variants, the   
   researchers were able to identify specific parts of OmpU associated with   
   the emergence of antibiotic resistance. They also discovered that the   
   genetic material encoding these variants, along with associated traits,   
   can be passed between bacterial cells, increasing therisk of spreading   
   AMR in populations under antibiotic pressure.   
      
   By understanding how mutations occur, researchers can   
   better understand and develop therapeutics to combat resistant   
   infections. Dr. Almagro-Moreno is also looking at environmental factors   
   such as pollution and warming of the oceans, as possible causes of   
   resistant bacteria. "We are studying the genetic diversity ofenvironmental   
   populations, including coastal Florida isolates, to develop a new approach   
   to understandinghow antimicrobial resistance evolves," he explained.   
      
   Understanding the bacteria that causes cholera, an acute diarrheal   
   illness linked to infected water and foods, has global implications. The   
   disease sickens up to 4 million people worldwide and severe cases can   
   cause death within hours.   
      
       * RELATED_TOPICS   
             o Health_&_Medicine   
                   # Infectious_Diseases # Diabetes # Pharmacology #   
                   Pharmaceuticals   
             o Plants_&_Animals   
                   # Bacteria # Microbes_and_More # Microbiology #   
                   Biotechnology_and_Bioengineering   
       * RELATED_TERMS   
             o Cholera o Antibiotic_resistance o Pathogen o   
             Genetic_recombination o Transmission_(medicine) o Adenoid o   
             Plant_breeding o Meningitis   
      
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   Story Source: Materials provided by   
   University_of_Central_Florida. Original written by Suhtling Wong. Note:   
   Content may be edited for style and length.   
      
      
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   Journal Reference:   
      1. Trudy-Ann Grant, Mario Lo'pez-Pe'rez, Jose Manuel Haro-Moreno,   
      Salvador   
         Almagro-Moreno. Allelic diversity uncovers protein domains   
         contributing to the emergence of antimicrobial resistance. PLOS   
         Genetics, 2023; 19 (3): e1010490 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010490   
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   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/05/230505141616.htm   
      
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