Search bioRxiv⌕ Search
Home/Archive/bioRxiv

bioRxiv · 10.1101/2024.05.24.595737

Progression of ampC amplification during de novo amoxicillin resistance development in E. coli

Nong, L.·Jonker, M. J.·de Leeuw, W.·Wortel, M. T.·ter Kuile, B. H.
View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Beta-lactam antibiotics are the most applied antimicrobials in human and veterinarian health care. Hence, beta-lactam resistance is a major health problem. Gene amplification of AmpC beta-lactamase is a main contributor to de novo {beta}-lactam resistance in E. coli. However, the time course of amplification and the accompanying DNA mutations are unclear. Here, we study the progression of ampC amplification and ampC promoter mutations in the evolution of resistance by stepwise increasing amoxicillin concentration. AmpC promoter mutations occur by day two, while the amplification by a factor of approximately eight occurs after more than six days of amoxicillin exposure. The combination of amplification and promoter mutations increase ampC mRNA level by an average factor of 200 after 22 days. An IS1 insertion was identified in the amplification junction, suggesting the amplification is facilitated by mobile genetic elements transposition. In order to identify the essential genes for ampC amplification, the chromosomal mutations of strains with induced amoxicillin resistance were compared a similarly evolved resistant {Delta}ampC knockout. The evolved {Delta}ampC contained several resistance mutations that were absent in the WT, which accumulated more mutations in stress response genes. The amoxicillin evolved {Delta}ampC does not show amplification of the fragment around the original ampC position but exhibits a large duplication or triplication at another position, suggesting selection of genes to amplify is essential for resistance adaption. IMPORTANCEAmoxicillin is one of the most used antimicrobial against bacterial infections. DNA fragments containing ampC are amplified upon prolonged and stepwise increasing exposure to amoxicillin. These ampC amplification fragments have been identified in extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) plasmids, which are considered the main cause of beta- lactam resistance. Understanding the progression of ampC amplification enables amoxicillin resistance prevention. In this study, we show the time course of two important factors for ampC transcription enhancement, ampC amplification and ampC promoter mutations, during de novo amoxicillin resistance evolution. We propose that the transposon IS1 contributes to the amplification and that the sigma factor 70 regulates ampC overexpression.

Explore related subjects

microbiologyPreprint

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Nong, L., Jonker, M. J., de Leeuw, W., Wortel, M. T., ter Kuile, B. H.. 2024-05-24. Progression of ampC amplification during de novo amoxicillin resistance development in E. coli. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.05.24.595737

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related preprints

bioRxiv2026

Matrix-controlled emergence of biofilm architecture shapes antimicrobial survival

Biofilms are structured microbial communities whose extracellular matrix is widely regarded as a basis of their protection against antimicrobial compounds. Yet how matrix production by individual bacteria gives rise to collective architecture and antimicrobial protection remains poorly understood. Here, we systematically varied expression of the master biofilm regulator csgD in Salmonella enterica and found that increasing matrix production reorganizes biofilms from dense, isotropic packings into sparse, nematically aligned communities by altering cell-cell interactions. By combining experimentally measured biofilm architectures with reaction-diffusion modeling, we show that these structural changes produce distinct patterns of antimicrobial killing, ranging from preferential killing near the liquid-biofilm interface to more uniform killing throughout the community. Consequently, increasing matrix production unexpectedly reduces antimicrobial survival by shifting the biofilm into different transport regimes, while strain-specific physiological differences further modulate antimicrobial depletion. Rather than acting as a passive barrier, EPS therefore shapes antimicrobial susceptibility by reorganizing biofilm architecture and its transport properties. EPS thus provides a physical link between molecular regulation, collective architecture and antimicrobial survival, providing a quantitative framework for understanding how cellular matrix production generates emergent biofilm function.

microbiology↗
bioRxiv2026

Mapping virulence-associated protein interaction networks reveals regulators of thermotolerance in Cryptococcus neoformans

Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) influence critical biological processes in pathogenic microorganisms, such as the human fungal pathogen, Cryptococcus neoformans. Fungal thermotolerance and stress response pathways are key virulence determinants that directly impact pathogen adaptation and survival and the infection process. To establish a comprehensive baseline of PPIs in C. neoformans and explore these interactions to infer functional roles for uncharacterized proteins, we applied size exclusion chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry to the secreted and cellular proteomes of the fungi. As a result, 216 and 1699 unique proteins were identified across 24 secretome and proteome fractions, respectively. The predicted secretome networks included expected proteins associated with vesicles and virulence, indicating a role in extracellular defense. Whereas the cryptococcal proteome highlighted interactions among proteins with defined roles in fungal virulence for protein stability and thermotolerance, including two previously uncharacterized proteins, CNAG_00287 and CNAG_05199, putatively involved in complex formation with heat-shock proteins (HSP). Based on sequence and structure homology, we propose that CNAG_00287 is a tetratricopeptide repeat-containing co-chaperone that modulates Hsp 70 activity and CNAG_05199 functions as a Hsp70. We validated the thermotolerance role of CNAG_00287 in heat-related stress, as its absence significantly impaired fungal growth in nutrient-limited media at 37 {degrees}C. Together, this work resolves virulence-associated PPIs within C. neoformans and reveals new molecular regulators of thermotolerance that underpin fungal pathogenicity.

microbiology↗
bioRxiv2026

Environmental filtering and host identity collectively shape root-associated microbiomes of Ericaceae and ectomycorrhizal plants in fumarole fields

Background Symbiosis with microbes is a key strategy that has enabled plants to colonize extreme environments. Since the benefits conferred by root-associated microbes depend on both environmental conditions and host-microbe combinations, plant adaptation to harsh environments is closely linked to the assembly of root microbial communities. Understanding how environmental and host filtering jointly shape these communities is therefore fundamental to elucidating the mechanisms underlying plant adaptation to extreme environments. Results In this study, we investigated the differentiation of root-associated prokaryotic and fungal communities and individual operational taxonomic units (OTUs) across two contrasting habitats surrounding fumaroles, solfatara-field and forest-edge habitats, and six dominant Ericaceae and ectomycorrhizal plant taxa. Prokaryotic and fungal OTUs rarely exhibited strong preferences for both habitat and host identity. Instead, many of prokaryotic and fungal OTUs specialized to one of these niches, collectively generating root microbial communities differentiated by both factors. Nonetheless, striking specializations in habitat and host niches were observed in the fungal family Hyaloscyphaceae (Helotiales). To gain insight into the evolutionary basis of microbial specialization, we examined phylogenetic signals in preference phenotypes. The resulting weak phylogenetic signals in these preference phenotypes further suggest that this fungal clade has undergone substantial ecological divergence. Conclusion Overall, our findings indicate that root-associated microbial communities in extreme environments are assembled through the accumulation of microbial taxa specialized to either habitat or host, and that strong ecological specialization in fungi can arise with little phylogenetic constraint.

microbiology↗