Biomaterial Database

Molecular mechanisms of antibiotic resistance. 2011

Gerard D Wright

M.G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, McMaster University, 1200 Main St W, Hamilton, ON, Canada. wrightge@mcmaster.ca

Over the past decade, resistance to antibiotics has emerged as a crisis of global proportion. Microbes resistant to many and even all clinically approved antibiotics are increasingly common and easily spread across continents. At the same time there are fewer new antibiotic drugs coming to market. We are reaching a point where we are no longer able to confidently treat a growing number of bacterial infections. The molecular mechanisms of drug resistance provide the essential knowledge on new drug development and clinical use. These mechanisms include enzyme catalyzed antibiotic modifications, bypass of antibiotic targets and active efflux of drugs from the cell. Understanding the chemical rationale and underpinnings of resistance is an essential component of our response to this clinical challenge.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D006420	Hemeproteins	Proteins that contain an iron-porphyrin, or heme, prosthetic group resembling that of hemoglobin. (From Lehninger, Principles of Biochemistry, 1982, p480)	Hemeprotein,Heme Protein,Heme Proteins,Protein, Heme,Proteins, Heme
D000900	Anti-Bacterial Agents	Substances that inhibit the growth or reproduction of BACTERIA.	Anti-Bacterial Agent,Anti-Bacterial Compound,Anti-Mycobacterial Agent,Antibacterial Agent,Antibiotics,Antimycobacterial Agent,Bacteriocidal Agent,Bacteriocide,Anti-Bacterial Compounds,Anti-Mycobacterial Agents,Antibacterial Agents,Antibiotic,Antimycobacterial Agents,Bacteriocidal Agents,Bacteriocides,Agent, Anti-Bacterial,Agent, Anti-Mycobacterial,Agent, Antibacterial,Agent, Antimycobacterial,Agent, Bacteriocidal,Agents, Anti-Bacterial,Agents, Anti-Mycobacterial,Agents, Antibacterial,Agents, Antimycobacterial,Agents, Bacteriocidal,Anti Bacterial Agent,Anti Bacterial Agents,Anti Bacterial Compound,Anti Bacterial Compounds,Anti Mycobacterial Agent,Anti Mycobacterial Agents,Compound, Anti-Bacterial,Compounds, Anti-Bacterial
D001419	Bacteria	One of the three domains of life (the others being Eukarya and ARCHAEA), also called Eubacteria. They are unicellular prokaryotic microorganisms which generally possess rigid cell walls, multiply by cell division, and exhibit three principal forms: round or coccal, rodlike or bacillary, and spiral or spirochetal. Bacteria can be classified by their response to OXYGEN: aerobic, anaerobic, or facultatively anaerobic; by the mode by which they obtain their energy: chemotrophy (via chemical reaction) or PHOTOTROPHY (via light reaction); for chemotrophs by their source of chemical energy: CHEMOLITHOTROPHY (from inorganic compounds) or chemoorganotrophy (from organic compounds); and by their source for CARBON; NITROGEN; etc.; HETEROTROPHY (from organic sources) or AUTOTROPHY (from CARBON DIOXIDE). They can also be classified by whether or not they stain (based on the structure of their CELL WALLS) with CRYSTAL VIOLET dye: gram-negative or gram-positive.	Eubacteria
D001425	Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins	Proteins isolated from the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria.	OMP Proteins,Outer Membrane Proteins, Bacterial,Outer Membrane Lipoproteins, Bacterial
D001426	Bacterial Proteins	Proteins found in any species of bacterium.	Bacterial Gene Products,Bacterial Gene Proteins,Gene Products, Bacterial,Bacterial Gene Product,Bacterial Gene Protein,Bacterial Protein,Gene Product, Bacterial,Gene Protein, Bacterial,Gene Proteins, Bacterial,Protein, Bacterial,Proteins, Bacterial
D001618	beta-Lactamases	Enzymes found in many bacteria which catalyze the hydrolysis of the amide bond in the beta-lactam ring. Well known antibiotics destroyed by these enzymes are penicillins and cephalosporins.	beta-Lactamase,beta Lactamase,beta Lactamases
D055162	Biocatalysis	The facilitation of biochemical reactions with the aid of naturally occurring catalysts such as ENZYMES.
D024881	Drug Resistance, Bacterial	The ability of bacteria to resist or to become tolerant to chemotherapeutic agents, antimicrobial agents, or antibiotics. This resistance may be acquired through gene mutation or foreign DNA in transmissible plasmids (R FACTORS).	Antibiotic Resistance, Bacterial,Antibacterial Drug Resistance
D027081	DNA Gyrase	A bacterial DNA topoisomerase II that catalyzes ATP-dependent breakage of both strands of DNA, passage of the unbroken strands through the breaks, and rejoining of the broken strands. Gyrase binds to DNA as a heterotetramer consisting of two A and two B subunits. In the presence of ATP, gyrase is able to convert the relaxed circular DNA duplex into a superhelix. In the absence of ATP, supercoiled DNA is relaxed by DNA gyrase.	DNA Gyrase A Subunit,DNA Gyrase B Subunit,DNA-Gyrase,GyrA Protein,GyrB Protein