Large-scale screening of genomic data identifies novel mobile colistin resistance genes and reveals high over-representation in Pseudomonadota

Typ
Examensarbete för masterexamen
Master's Thesis
Program
Biotechnology (MPBIO), MSc
Publicerad
2023
Författare
Schiller, Alice
Modellbyggare
Tidskriftstitel
ISSN
Volymtitel
Utgivare
Sammanfattning
The emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is a health problem of great concern. Antibiotic resistance development is driven by selection pressure and the environment is believed to be the origin of most antibiotic resistance genes, from where they can mobilize into pathogens. In order to be prepared when novel antibiotic resistance genes reach pathogens and prevent further transmission, early detection and knowledge about the spread is of high importance. One specific type of antibiotic that is of high interest to characterize is colistin. Colistin is an antibiotic that targets gram-negative bacteria and is sometimes seen as the last alternative to treat dangerous infections caused by multi-drug resistance gram-negative bacteria. The emergence of mobile colistin resistance genes hence threatens the efficiency of treating these types of infections. The aim of this thesis is to identify potential novel colistin resistance genes and evaluate them in terms of gene mobility and phylogeny. In order to achieve this, a gene model optimized for colistin resistance genes has been created with fARGene. This model was then used to screen large-scale bacterial genomic data for potential novel colistin resistance genes. The predicted genes were analyzed in terms of mobility and phylogeny. This resulted in 680 257 predicted genes, over-represented in the class Gammaproteobacteria within the phylum Pseudomonadota, that could be summarized into 1611 clusters. Out of these clusters, 104 showed signs of mobility, and many were closely related to the already known mobile colistin resistance genes. Additionally, 13 clusters comprising potential mobile novel colistin resistance genes that are present, or at risk of ending up, in pathogenic hosts could be identified.
Beskrivning
Ämne/nyckelord
Antibiotic resistance, colistin, profile HMM, gene mobilization, horizontal gene transfer
Citation
Arkitekt (konstruktör)
Geografisk plats
Byggnad (typ)
Byggår
Modelltyp
Skala
Teknik / material
Index