Navigation Links
Supersized 'island' of resistance genes discovered in an infectious bacterium

Researchers have discovered a cluster of 45 genes coding for antibacterial drug resistance in the bacterium, Acinetobacter baumannii, a major cause of hospital-acquired infections worldwide. The study was reported in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics.

"We expected to find resistance genes," said lead author, Pierre-Edouard Fournier, researcher at the Structural and Genomic Information Laboratory at France's National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS). "But the grouping of most of these genes within a single genomic island was totally unexpected." The resistance island--a group of resistance genes clustered close together on a chromosome--is the largest discovered to date.

The research team also discovered new resistance genes. "We were surprised to discover 19 new resistance genes that escaped the scrutiny of the large number of laboratories already working on multi-drug resistant A. baumannii throughout the world. This is a demonstration of the efficiency of the whole genome approach in characterizing new pathogens," said Jean-Michel Claverie, senior author of the report and Director of the Structural and Genomic Information Laboratory at CNRS.

This bacterium acquires resistance genes quickly--just thirty years ago it was completely susceptible to antibiotics and now it is resistant to a wide-range of antibiotics.

"A. baumannii is exceptionally prone to pick up foreign DNA from other bacteria," Claverie said. The study traced the origin of many resistance genes to other bacteria, including Salmonella, indicating frequent genetic swapping between bacteria.

Resistance genes are usually located on small auxiliary circles of DNA called plasmids that can be exchanged with other individuals. But in A. baumannii, resistance genes were incorporated into the main chromosome, not the plasmids, according to the study.

"It is like the A. baumannii genome is 'anticipating' any antibacterial challenge by setting
'"/>

Source:Public Library of Science


Page: 1 2

Related biology news :

1. Plant defenses prompt bacterial countermeasure in the form of island DNA excision
2. Study identifies predictors of HIV drug resistance in patients beginning triple therapy
3. Researchers make gains in understanding antibiotic resistance
4. MUHC scientists describe genetic resistance to rampant virus
5. New polysaccharide may help combat multidrug resistance in cancer
6. New book explains antibiotic resistance for a broad audience
7. Insects develop resistance to engineered crops
8. Retroviral resistance gene found
9. Drug resistance testing in treatment-naive HIV patients is cost-effective
10. Researchers use RNAi libraries to identify regulators of apoptosis and chemoresistance
11. Gaining ground in the race against antibiotic resistance

Post Your Comments:
(Date:11/25/2009)...Head of the Cell Death Research Laboratory in the ...een awarded the prestigious Johnson & Johnson Focu...ause of brain cell damage in Parkinson,s disease. ...s in support of innovation and excellence in scien...d earlier this month at an event at the Hyatt Rege...
(Date:11/24/2009)...s it has been prescribed by traditional healers in...s and stomach pain to fever and flu. , Now for th...have been able to scientifically prove the pain re...known as Brazilian mint. , Testing this ancient S...cher Graciela Rocha was able to show that when pre...
(Date:11/24/2009)...on of a remarkable class of ring-shaped protein mo...wrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab)...beamline at the Advanced Light Source (ALS). These...ion and replication, and are vital to the survival...ents, such as the human papillomavirus, which has ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):Johnson & Johnson award goes to research of the cause of brain cell damage in Parkinson's 2Got a pain? -- Have a cup of Brazilian mint 2Atomic-level snapshot catches protein motor in action 2Atomic-level snapshot catches protein motor in action 3Atomic-level snapshot catches protein motor in action 4Poniard Pharmaceuticals Reports Third Quarter 2009 Financial Results and Provides a Corporate Update 14702 1Poniard Pharmaceuticals Reports Third Quarter 2009 Financial Results and Provides a Corporate Update 14702 2Poniard Pharmaceuticals Reports Third Quarter 2009 Financial Results and Provides a Corporate Update 14702 3Poniard Pharmaceuticals Reports Third Quarter 2009 Financial Results and Provides a Corporate Update 14702 4Poniard Pharmaceuticals Reports Third Quarter 2009 Financial Results and Provides a Corporate Update 14702 5Poniard Pharmaceuticals Reports Third Quarter 2009 Financial Results and Provides a Corporate Update 14702 6Poniard Pharmaceuticals Reports Third Quarter 2009 Financial Results and Provides a Corporate Update 14702 7Cancer Diagnostics Company On Q ity Raises 2421M in Series A Funding for the Development of Technologies to Personalize Cancer Therapy 5961 1Cancer Diagnostics Company On Q ity Raises 2421M in Series A Funding for the Development of Technologies to Personalize Cancer Therapy 5961 2Varian Inc to Release Fourth Quarter and Full Fiscal Year 2009 Financial Results 5957 1
...searchers at NYU Langone Medical Center may have d...ndrome (BTHS). BTHS, a sometimes fatal disease, is...y in males that leads to infection or heart failur...alcium-independent phospholipase A2 in the pathoge...n the Proceedings of the National Academy of Scie...
...N ARBOR, Mich. Researchers from the University of...ied a gene that is overexpressed in 90 percent of .... , Expression of the gene, Ataxia Telangiectasia...erage 20 times higher in pancreatic cancer cells t...the gene appears to make pancreatic cancer cells r...
... international team of scientists, led by Monash U...of a superbug that kills elderly hospital patients... save lives and health care systems billions of do...n the prestigious scientific journal Nature , unr...Clostridium difficile and solved the mystery surr...
Other Biology News:New potential therapeutic target discovered for genetic disorder -- Barth syndrome 2U-M researchers ID gene involved in pancreatic cancer 2Monash scientists debug superbug 2
(Date:11/24/2009)... , SANTA CRUZ, Calif., Nov. 24 /PRNewswire/ ...io Career Center, the nation,s leading online job ...als. ,, Northwestern and Columbia University ar...ajor life science training Institutions. ,, The... post-graduates in the life sciences. While there ...
(Date:11/24/2009)... , REYKJAVIK, Iceland, November.... (Nasdaq: DCGN ) today announced that it has rece...ing in the company,s common stock will be,suspende...e filed with the,Securities and Exchange Commissio...sting on Nasdaq, unless the company files an appea...
(Date:11/24/2009)... Health care employment grew b...e only one to show consistent growth during the U....tals remain in trouble, and health systems are com...nnel, instead of just administrators. , ... care employment continued growing in October desp...
(Date:11/24/2009)... , SHANGHAI, Nov. 24 /PRNewswire-Asia/ --...& Trademark Office (PTO) has allowed the paten...or NOD technology. , NOD technology is a ...or,proteins into bio-adhesive nano-particles to en... as injections. NOD technology is a platform techn...
Breaking Biology Technology:Two Major Universities Join Nation's Leading Postgrad Bio Job Board 2deCODE Receives Delisting Notice From Nasdaq, Plans to Appeal 2deCODE Receives Delisting Notice From Nasdaq, Plans to Appeal 3The MedZilla Report for October 2009 - Health Care Employment Grows Again in October Even As Clinics, Specialty Centers Close 2The MedZilla Report for October 2009 - Health Care Employment Grows Again in October Even As Clinics, Specialty Centers Close 3The MedZilla Report for October 2009 - Health Care Employment Grows Again in October Even As Clinics, Specialty Centers Close 4
... 26 Joseph F. Finn, Jr., C.P.A. ("Finn"), announc...erest from pharma companies in the intellectual pr.... , , In preclinical studies, GCS-100 inhibited b...s. Development and growth of solid tumors require...iver oxygen and nutrients to a tumor. Galectin-3 ...
...outstanding, world-changing leaders to participate...s of the TED Conference introduced today the 25 ne... international conference, TEDGlobal. These Fellow...ttending TEDGlobal 2009, to be held in Oxford, UK,...TED Fellows selected for the TED2009 Conference, h...
...ornia and AMSTERDAM, May 26 ,Agendia, a world lead...d the,opening of its U.S. clinical genomics labora...lly-licensed and compliant with the Clinical Labor...ed by the Centers for Medicare,and Medicaid Servic...ncer genomics laboratory, Agendia has,over the pas...
Other Biology Technology:Prospect Therapeutics, Inc.'s GCS-100 Inhibited Blood Vessel Formation in a Variety of Cancer Models 2TED Conferences Announces 25 TED Fellows for TEDGlobal in Oxford 2TED Conferences Announces 25 TED Fellows for TEDGlobal in Oxford 3TED Conferences Announces 25 TED Fellows for TEDGlobal in Oxford 4TED Conferences Announces 25 TED Fellows for TEDGlobal in Oxford 5Agendia Opens CLIA-Registered U.S. Genomics Laboratory 2Agendia Opens CLIA-Registered U.S. Genomics Laboratory 3
... fluorescent nucleic acid dye which binds only to ...erstain, propidium iodide stains the nucleus light...provides excellent contrast to green or blue fluor...ide can be used for fluorescent in situ hybridizat...
...ter assay for mitochondrial membrane potential det...are detected by carboxyfluorescein (FAM)-labelled ... are cell-permeable, non-cytotoxic and bind covale...he same time the mitochondrial membrane potential ...
...tured in DMEM and harvested at the log phase of gr...ve forms, cells were fixed in acetone-methanol. T...coated slide, with each wells surface specifically...imize background staining. Each well is loaded wi...
...r can be induced prior to DNA purification increas...y of single-copy BACs with the high yields associa...s provide the linearized vector and associated rea...stem) necessary to create a 10X human BAC library....
Biology Products: