NLM DIR Seminar Schedule

Abstract:

Ribosomal RNA methylation is one of the main mechanisms of bacterial resistance to ribosome-targeting antibiotics. Methylation-dependent resistance has been described in drug-producing strains where resistance methyltransferases (MTs) are often encoded in the corresponding antibiotic biosynthetic gene clusters. It also has been found in pathogenic bacteria where this acquired resistance represents a significant medical problem. Several rRNA-specific MTs involved in antibiotic resistance have been identified and characterized. In this talk, I will present genomic and phylogenetic analyses of eight MT families involved in resistance to various classes of ribosome-targeting antibiotics. These include MTs conferring resistance to aminoglycosides, orthosomycins, RiPP thiopeptides, and macrolides. Within each family, subfamilies with antibiotic-resistance MTs were identified and their gene neighborhoods analyzed. I will discuss findings pointing to a great variability of genomic context for these MTs, as well as potential functional redundancy, overlapping of functions and possible dual housekeeping and antibiotic resistance function MTs.