• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.449-457
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• 2021

The aim of the present study was to survey the frequency of inducible and constitutive phenotypes and inducible cross-resistant genes by regulating the methylation of 23S rRNA (ermA, ermB, and ermC) and macrolide efflux-related msrA gene in Staphylococcus aureus and S. epidermidis strains. A total of 172 bacterial isolates (identified based on standard tests), were examined in this study. Antibiotic susceptibility was determined by the disk diffusion method, and all isolates were evaluated with respect to inducible and constitutive phenotypes. The presence of ermA, ermB, ermC, and msrA genes was investigated by a PCR assay. The constitutive resistance phenotypes showed a higher distribution among the isolates. R phenotype was detected more among S. epidermidis isolates (46.25%). ermB, ermC, and msrA genes were detected more in methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-resistant S. epidermidis (MRSE) isolates that had R and HD phenotypes (>77% strains). The ermA gene had the lowest frequency among MRSA, MRSE, MSSA, and MSSE strains (<14% isolates). Distribution of inducible resistance genes in MRSA and MRSE strains, and possibly other species, leads to increased constitutive resistance to erythromycin, clindamycin, and other similar antibiotics. Therefore, it can be challenging to treat infections caused by these resistant strains.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.397-403
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• 2018

We determined the resistance rates of pathogenic bacteria isolated from cultured olive flounder Paralichthys olivaceus to erythromycin (Em), antibiotic typically used in aquaculture and analyzed the genotypes of resistant bacteria using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). We isolated and utilized 160 isolates of Streptococcus parauberis, 1 of S. iniae, 66 of Edwardsiella tarda, 56 of Vibrio sp. and 23 of unidentified bacteria from presumed infected olive flounder from Jeju Island from March 2016 to October 2017. Of the 306 isolated strains, Em-resistant strains included 33 of S. parauberis, 39 of E. tarda and 2 of Vibrio sp. We conducted PCR to assess the resistance determination of Em-resistant strains. Five different types of Em-resistance genes were detected in the 74 Em-resistant strains: erm (A), erm (B), erm (C), mef (A) and mef (E); erm (A) and erm (B) were detected in 1 (3%) and 24 (72.7%) S. parauberis isolates, respectively. In E. tarda, erm (B) was detected in five isolates (12.8 %) and no Em-resistance genes were detected in the two Vibrio sp. isolates.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.11
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• pp.1464-1469
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• 2009

To achieve more accurate and rapid detection of macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B resistance genes, erm(A), erm(B), and erm(C), we developed a TaqMan probe-based real-time PCR (Q-PCR) method and compared it with conventional PCR (C-PCR), which is the most widely using erm gene identification method. The detection limit of Q-PCR was 5 fg of genomic DNA or 5-8 CFU of bacterial cells of Staphylococcus aureus. The utilization of Q-PCR might shorten the time to erm detection from 3-4 h to about 50 min. These data indicated that Q-PCR assay appears to be not only highly sensitive and specific, but also the most rapid diagnostic method. Therefore, the appropriate application of the Q-PCR assay will permit rapid and accurate identification of erm genes from clinical and other samples.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.29 no.12
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• pp.1154-1157
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• 2006

The ermK gene from Bacillus lichenformis encodes an inducible rRNA methylase that confers resistance to the macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B antibiotics. The ermK mRNA leader sequence has a total length of 357 nucleotides and encodes a 14-amino acid leader peptide together with its ribosome binding site. The secondary structure of ermK leader mRNA and a leader peptide sequence have been reported as the elements that control expression. In this study, the contribution of specific leader peptide amino acid residues to induction of ermK was studied using the PCR-based megaprimer mutation method. ermK methylases with altered leader peptide codons were translationally fused to E. coli ${\beta}-galactosidase$ reporter gene. The deletion of the codons for Thr-2 through Ser-4 reduced inducibility by erythromycin, whereas that for Thr-2 and His-3 was not. The replacement of the individual codons for Ser-4, Met-5 and Arg-6 with termination codon led to loss of inducibility, but stop mutation of codon Phe-9 restored inducibility by erythromycin. Collectively, these findings suggest that the codons for residue 4, 5 and 6 comprise the critical region for induction. The stop mutation at Leu-7 expressed constitutively ermK gene. Thus, ribosome stalling at codon 7 appears to be important for ermK induction.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.22-29
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• 1991

pMB4 is a 2.4-kilobase plasmid of Staphylococcus aureus TR-1 that confers inducible resistance to the macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B(MLS) antibiotics. By subcloning studies, it was found that the MLS resistance determinant was located at 1.0Kb fragment between Sau3AI and TaqI sites. DNA sequence of the MLS resistant determinant, named ermC-4 was determined, and found to be highly homologous with that of ermC. Because the leader peptide sequence of ermC-4 was identical with that of ermC, the expression of the resistance gene is thought to be controlled by posttranscriptional attenuation in S. aureus TR-1.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.27-34
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• 1990

Two macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B (MLS) antibiotic resistance genes, one expressed inducibly and the other expressed constitutively were recognized from a single Staphylococcus aureus DH1 strain. The inducible MLS resistance gene was isolated and cloned from the R-plasmid pDE1(7.4kb) and the constitutive gene was from chromosomal DNA. Base sequence of the inducible MLS resistance gene (1.2kb) was determined and found as same that of pE194. The restriction map of the cloned constitutive MLS resistance gene was compared with that of the inducible gene. Two genes have same restriction map except leader region. In the constitutive gene there is no leader region which is doing major role in inducible expression.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.166-172
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• 2007

ERM proteins transfer the methyl group to $A_{2058}$ in 23S rRNA, which reduces the affinity of MLS (macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B) antibiotics to 23S rRNA, thereby confer the antibiotic resistance on micro-organisms ranging from antibiotic producers to pathogens and are classified into monomethyltransferase and dimethyltransferase. To investigate the differences between mono- and dimethyltransferase, tirD, a representative monomethylase gene was cloned in Escherichia coli from Streptomyces fradiae which contains ermSF, dimethylase gene as well to overexpress the TlrD for the first time. T7 promoter driven expression system successfully overexpress tlrD as a insoluble aggregate at $37^{\circ}C$ accumulating to around 55% of the total cell protein but unlike ErmSF, culturing at temperature as low as $18^{\circ}C$ did not make insoluble aggregate of protein into soluble protein. Coexpression of Thioredoxin and GroESL, chaperone was not helpful in turning into soluble protein either as in case of ErmSF. These results might suggest that differences between mono- and dimethylase could be investigated on the basis of the characteristics of protein structure. However, a very small amount of soluble protein which could not be detected by SDS-PAGE conferred antibiotic resistance on E. coli as in ErmSF which was expected from the activity exerted by monmethylase in a cell.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.177-182
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• 1993

From 84 clinical isolates of Staphylococcus species, ten strains showing inducible resistance to MLS antibiotics were selected by disk agar diffusion method. Colony hybridization was executed using two MLS inducible resistance genes, ermA and ermC, previously identified from S. aureus as probes. S. hemolyticus 401 and S. epidermidis 542 whose genes were not homologous to those probes were finally selected. It was determined that the resistance genes of S. hemolyticus 401 and S. epidermidis 542 were not homologous to ermA, ermC and ermAM by Southern hybridization. S. epidermidis 542 had a plasmid DNA. To know if the plasmid may have genes related to inducible resistance, it was attempted to transform B. subtilis BR151 and S. aureus RN4220 with the plasmid prepared from S. epidermidis 542. It was shown that the gene related to inducible resistance to MLS antibiotics did not exist in this plasmid. These results indicate that two clinical isolates of S. hemolyticus 401 and S. epidermidis 542 had novel genes which were not homologous to MLS resistance genes identified previously. It was assumed that these genes may exist in chromosomal DNA.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.286-290
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence and genetic mechanisms of erythromycin resistance in staphylococci. A total of 102 erythromycin resistant non-duplicate clinical isolates of staphylococci [78. coagulase negative stapylococci (CNS), 24 Staphylococcus aureus] were collected between October 2003 and August 2004 in Istanbul Faculty of Medicine in Turkey. The majority of the isolates were from blood and urine specimens. Antimicrobial susceptibilities were determined by the agar dilution procedure and the resistance phenotypes by the double disk induction test. A multiplex PCR was performed, using primers specific for erm(A), erm(B), erm(C), and msrA genes.. Among the 78 CNS isolates, 57.8% expressed the $MLS_{B}-constitutive$, 20.6% the $MLS_{B}-inducible$, and 21.6% the $MS_B$ phenotypes. By PCR, 78.2% of these isolates harbored the erm(C) gene, 8.9% erm(A), 6.4% erm(B), and 11.5% msrA genes. In S. aureus, the constitutive $MLS_B$ (58.3 %) was more common than the inducible phenotype (20.8%). erm(A) was detected in 50% and erm(C) in 62.5% of the isolates, while 37.5% contained both erm(A) and erm(C). erm(C)-associated macrolide resistance was the most prevalent in CNS, while ermC) and erm(A, C) was the most prevalent in S. aureus.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.165-170
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• 2013

The SCO3388 gene from Streptomyces coelicolor is homologous to tmrB, the tunicamycin resistance gene of Bacillus subtilis. The SCO3388-inactivation strain (SY-tbl-1) was generated by replacing SCO3388 with thiostrepton resistance gene. Spores of S. coelicolor derivatives were prepared on mannitol-soy flour (MS) agar on which SY-tbl-1 displayed no significant defect in growth and development. When plated on R4 agar, spores of SYtbl-1 displayed retardation in growth and sporulation, whereas its mycelium gave rise to normal growth. Thus, SCO3388 is suggested to be involved in the dormant spore germination. Expression of SCO3388 under the ermE1 promoter restored but only partially the ability to sporulate in SY-tbl-1. Neither SY-tbl-1 nor SY-tbl-1/ermE1p-SCO3388 showed a difference in tunicamycin resistance to the wild type whereas, interestingly, the introduction of ermE1p-SCO3388 dramatically enhanced spore survival to heat and detergent treatments, suggesting that SCO3388 might play a role in the maintenance of spore cell wall integrity.