idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Nachrichten, Termine, Experten

Grafik: idw-Logo
Grafik: idw-Logo

idw - Informationsdienst
Wissenschaft

Science Video Project
idw-Abo

idw-News App:

AppStore

Google Play Store



Instance:
Share on: 
11/27/2020 11:36

Small molecules control bacterial resistance to antibiotics

Alena Gold Abteilung Hochschulkommunikation/Bereich Presse und Information
Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena

    Antibiotics have revolutionized medicine by providing effective treatments for infectious diseases such as cholera. But the pathogens that cause disease are increasingly developing resistance to the antibiotics that are most commonly used. Scientists at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany have discovered a molecule that influences the antibiotic-resistance of cholera bacteria. They have published their results in the scientific journal “Nature Communications”.

    Antibiotics work in different ways. Some, including penicillin, attack the cell wall of the bacteria by inhibiting their synthesis. But the bacteria are not helpless against this attack. "We have been able to identify a small ribonucleic acid that has a decisive influence on the antibiotic-resistance of the cholera-triggering bacterium Vibrio cholerae," says Kai Papenfort, Professor of General Microbiology at the University of Jena, Germany.

    The protein CrvA is found in the periplasmic space of the bacterium. This lies between the outer cell wall and the basic substance of the cell, the cytoplasm, which is also surrounded by a membrane. There CrvA determines the curvature of the rod-shaped bacterium V. cholerae. "Until now, however, it was not known what controls the activity of this protein. With the small ribonucleic acid VadR we were able to identify a post-transcriptional inhibitor of the synthesis of this protein," says Prof. Papenfort. In contrast to messenger RNA, small ribonucleic acids do not contain any genetic information, but do influence its expression – usually after the DNA has been transcribed into messenger RNA.

    Maintenance of the cell form is crucial for antibiotic resistance

    "Cholera bacteria in which the protein CrvA is not suppressed by VadR show a reduced survival rate on contact with penicillin," says Papenfort. This indicates that the maintenance of the cell form by the small RNA is crucial for antibiotic resistance, the microbiologist adds. The researchers revealed other functions of the small RNA VadR, including the formation of biofilms, which play an important role in the pathogenicity of V. cholerae.

    "VadR is one of many molecules that can intervene in gene expression in V. cholerae. If we understand all these molecules, their functions and their interaction, we can derive new therapeutic approaches. The increasing resistance to antibiotics makes this urgently necessary", says Papenfort, whose research contributes to the Cluster of Excellence „Balance of the Microverse“ at the University of Jena.


    Contact for scientific information:

    Prof. Dr Kai Papenfort
    Chair of General Microbiology & Cluster of Excellence "Balance of the Microverse" of Friedrich Schiller University Jena
    Phone: +49 3641 949311
    E-mail: kai.papenfort[at]uni-jena.de


    Original publication:

    Peschek N, Herzog R, Singh PK, Sprenger M, Meyer F, Fröhlich KS, Schröger L, Bramkamp M, Drescher K, Papenfort K (2020) RNA-mediated control of cell shape modulates antibiotic resistance in Vibrio cholerae, Nature Communications 2020, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-19890-8


    Images

    Cholera bacteria under the microscope.
    Cholera bacteria under the microscope.
    Image: Kai Papenfort

    Prof. Dr Kai Papenfort of the University of Jena.
    Prof. Dr Kai Papenfort of the University of Jena.
    Image: Anne Guenther/Univ. Jena


    Criteria of this press release:
    Journalists, Scientists and scholars
    Biology, Medicine
    transregional, national
    Research results, Scientific Publications
    English


     

    Help

    Search / advanced search of the idw archives
    Combination of search terms

    You can combine search terms with and, or and/or not, e.g. Philo not logy.

    Brackets

    You can use brackets to separate combinations from each other, e.g. (Philo not logy) or (Psycho and logy).

    Phrases

    Coherent groups of words will be located as complete phrases if you put them into quotation marks, e.g. “Federal Republic of Germany”.

    Selection criteria

    You can also use the advanced search without entering search terms. It will then follow the criteria you have selected (e.g. country or subject area).

    If you have not selected any criteria in a given category, the entire category will be searched (e.g. all subject areas or all countries).