How E. coli survives antibiotic trimethoprim: Study
Scientists at IISER Pune just figured out how E. coli bacteria can survive the antibiotic trimethoprim.
Turns out, these bacteria copy a key gene (folA) to make extra of the protein targeted by trimethoprim, helping them shrug off the drug.
Bacteria amped up folA gene
By exposing E. coli to trimethoprim, researchers saw that the bacteria amped up their folA gene, which increased the amount of the protein targeted by trimethoprim and helped the bacteria grow in the presence of the drug.
Over time, these changes led to permanent tweaks in other genes, locking in resistance.
Lon protease also plays role
The team also discovered that Lon protease influences how often these gene copy changes occur.
This shows how bacteria can quickly adapt when stressed by antibiotics, and why fighting resistance is such a tricky puzzle for science.