scholarly journals Method for Estimation of Low Outer Membrane Permeability to β-Lactam Antibiotics

2002 ◽  
Vol 46 (9) ◽  
pp. 2901-2907 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernard Lakaye ◽  
Alain Dubus ◽  
Bernard Joris ◽  
Jean-Marie Frère
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Permeability ◽  
Outer Membrane ◽  
Cytoplasmic Membrane ◽  
Quantitative Estimation ◽  
Enterobacter Aerogenes ◽  
Gram Negative Bacteria ◽  
Penicillin Binding Protein ◽  
Highly Sensitive ◽  
Outer Membrane Permeability ◽  
Rate Limiting

ABSTRACT The outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria plays a major role in β-lactam resistance as it slows down antibiotic entry into the periplasm and therefore acts in synergy with β-lactamases and efflux systems. Up to now, the quantitative estimation of low outer membrane permeability by the method of Zimmermann and Rosselet was difficult because of the secreted and cell surface-associated β-lactamases. The method presented here uses the acylation of a highly sensitive periplasmic penicillin-binding protein (PBP) (BlaR-CTD) to assess the rate of β-lactam penetration into the periplasm. The method is dedicated to measurement of low permeability and is only valid when the diffusion rate through the outer membrane is rate limiting. Cytoplasmic membrane associated PBPs do not interfere since they are acylated after the very sensitive BlaR-CTD. This method was used to measure the permeability of β-lactamase-deficient strains of Enterobacter cloacae and Enterobacter aerogenes to benzylpenicillin, ampicillin, carbenicillin, cefotaxime, aztreonam, and cephacetrile. Except for that of cephacetrile, the permeability coefficients were equal to or below 10−7 cm/s. For cephacetrile, carbenicillin, and benzylpenicillin, the outer membrane of E. cloacae was 20 to 60 times less permeable than that of Escherichia coli, whereas for cefotaxime, aztreonam, and ampicillin it was, respectively, 400, 1,000, and 700 times less permeable. The permeability coefficient for aztreonam is the lowest ever measured (P = 3.2 × 10−9 cm/s). Using these values, the MICs for a β-lactamase-overproducing strain of E. cloacae were successfully predicted, demonstrating the validity of the method.

scholarly journals Omp35, a New Enterobacter aerogenes Porin Involved in Selective Susceptibility to Cephalosporins

2004 ◽  
Vol 48 (6) ◽  
pp. 2153-2158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charléric Bornet ◽  
Nathalie Saint ◽  
Lilia Fetnaci ◽  
Myrielle Dupont ◽  
Anne Davin-Régli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Permeability ◽  
Outer Membrane ◽  
Antibiotic Susceptibility ◽  
Enterobacter Aerogenes ◽  
Artificial Membranes ◽  
Specific Location ◽  
Outer Membrane Permeability ◽  
Constriction Region ◽  
High Conductance

ABSTRACT In Enterobacter aerogenes, β-lactam resistance often involves a decrease in outer membrane permeability induced by modifications of porin synthesis. In ATCC 15038 strain, we observed a different pattern of porin production associated with a variable antibiotic susceptibility. We purified Omp35, which is expressed under conditions of low osmolality and analyzed its pore-forming properties in artificial membranes. This porin was found to be an OmpF-like protein with high conductance values. It showed a noticeably higher conductance compared to Omp36 and a specific location of WNYT residues in the L3 loop. The importance of the constriction region in the porin function suggests that this organization is involved in the level of susceptibility to negative large cephalosporins such as ceftriaxone by bacteria producing the Omp35 porin subfamily.

scholarly journals Role of the Outer Membrane and Porins in Susceptibility of β-Lactamase-Producing Enterobacteriaceae to Ceftazidime-Avibactam

2015 ◽  
Vol 60 (3) ◽  
pp. 1349-1359 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Marie Pagès ◽  
Sabine Peslier ◽  
Thomas A. Keating ◽  
Jean-Philippe Lavigne ◽  
Wright W. Nichols
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Permeability ◽  
Outer Membrane ◽  
Efflux Pump ◽  
Enterobacter Aerogenes ◽  
Antibacterial Activities ◽  
Clinical Isolates ◽  
Membrane Pore ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Porin Proteins ◽  
Outer Membrane Permeability

This study examined the activity of the novel antimicrobial combination ceftazidime-avibactam againstEnterobacteriaceaeexhibiting different outer membrane permeability profiles, specifically with or without porins and with or without expression of the main efflux pump (AcrAB-TolC). The addition of the outer membrane permeabilizer polymyxin B nonapeptide increased the antibacterial activities of avibactam alone, ceftazidime alone, and ceftazidime-avibactam against the characterized clinical isolates ofEscherichia coli,Enterobacter aerogenes, andKlebsiella pneumoniae. This enhancement of activities was mainly due to increased passive penetration of compounds since inhibition of efflux by the addition of phenylalanine-arginine β-naphthylamide affected the MICs minimally. OmpF (OmpK35) or OmpC (OmpK36) pores were not the major route by which avibactam crossed the outer membranes ofE. coliandK. pneumoniae. In contrast, Omp35 and Omp36 allowed diffusion of avibactam across the outer membrane ofE. aerogenes, although other diffusion channels for avibactam were also present in that species. It was clear that outer membrane permeability and outer membrane pore-forming proteins play a key role in the activity of ceftazidime-avibactam. Nevertheless, the MICs of ceftazidime-avibactam (with 4 mg/liter avibactam) against the ceftazidime-resistant clinical isolates of the three species ofEnterobacteriaceaestudied were ≤8 mg/liter, regardless of outer membrane permeability changes resulting from an absence of defined porin proteins or upregulation of efflux.

scholarly journals Outer Membrane Permeability of Cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. Strain PCC 6803: Studies of Passive Diffusion of Small Organic Nutrients Reveal the Absence of Classical Porins and Intrinsically Low Permeability

2017 ◽  
Vol 199 (19) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hikaru Kowata ◽  
Saeko Tochigi ◽  
Hideyuki Takahashi ◽  
Seiji Kojima
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Permeability ◽  
Outer Membrane ◽  
Outer Membrane Proteins ◽  
Inorganic Ions ◽  
Gram Negative Bacteria ◽  
Gram Negative ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organic Nutrients ◽  
Outer Membrane Permeability ◽  
Pcc 6803

ABSTRACT The outer membrane of heterotrophic Gram-negative bacteria plays the role of a selective permeability barrier that prevents the influx of toxic compounds while allowing the nonspecific passage of small hydrophilic nutrients through porin channels. Compared with heterotrophic Gram-negative bacteria, the outer membrane properties of cyanobacteria, which are Gram-negative photoautotrophs, are not clearly understood. In this study, using small carbohydrates, amino acids, and inorganic ions as permeation probes, we determined the outer membrane permeability of Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 in intact cells and in proteoliposomes reconstituted with outer membrane proteins. The permeability of this cyanobacterium was >20-fold lower than that of Escherichia coli. The predominant outer membrane proteins Slr1841, Slr1908, and Slr0042 were not permeable to organic nutrients and allowed only the passage of inorganic ions. Only the less abundant outer membrane protein Slr1270, a homolog of the E. coli export channel TolC, was permeable to organic solutes. The activity of Slr1270 as a channel was verified in a recombinant Slr1270-producing E. coli outer membrane. The lack of putative porins and the low outer membrane permeability appear to suit the cyanobacterial autotrophic lifestyle; the highly impermeable outer membrane would be advantageous to cellular survival by protecting the cell from toxic compounds, especially when the cellular physiology is not dependent on the uptake of organic nutrients. IMPORTANCE Because the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria affects the flux rates for various substances into and out of the cell, its permeability is closely associated with cellular physiology. The outer membrane properties of cyanobacteria, which are photoautotrophic Gram-negative bacteria, are not clearly understood. Here, we examined the outer membrane of Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803. We revealed that it is relatively permeable to inorganic ions but is markedly less permeable to organic nutrients, with >20-fold lower permeability than the outer membrane of Escherichia coli. Such permeability appears to fit the cyanobacterial lifestyle, in which the diffusion pathway for inorganic solutes may suffice to sustain the autotrophic physiology, illustrating a link between outer membrane permeability and the cellular lifestyle.

scholarly journals The outer membrane permeability of gram-negative bacteria

FEBS Letters ◽  
1979 ◽  
Vol 106 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masao Tokunaga ◽  
Hiroko Tokunaga ◽  
Taiji Nakae
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Permeability ◽  
Outer Membrane ◽  
Gram Negative Bacteria ◽  
Gram Negative ◽  
Outer Membrane Permeability

scholarly journals Phospholipid retention in the absence of asymmetry strengthens the outer membrane permeability barrier to last-resort antibiotics

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (36) ◽  
pp. E8518-E8527 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew J. Powers ◽  
M. Stephen Trent
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Permeability ◽  
Outer Membrane ◽  
Lipid A ◽  
Permeability Barrier ◽  
Gram Negative Bacteria ◽  
Gram Negative ◽  
Outer Leaflet ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
Evolution Experiment ◽  
Outer Membrane Permeability

The outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria is a critical barrier that prevents entry of noxious compounds. Integral to this functionality is the presence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or lipooligosaccharide (LOS), a molecule that is located exclusively in the outer leaflet of the outer membrane. Its lipid anchor, lipid A, is a glycolipid whose hydrophobicity and net negative charge are primarily responsible for the robustness of the membrane. Because of this, lipid A is a hallmark of Gram-negative physiology and is generally essential for survival. Rare exceptions have been described, includingAcinetobacter baumannii, which can survive in the absence of lipid A, albeit with significant growth and membrane permeability defects. Here, we show by an evolution experiment that LOS-deficientA. baumanniican rapidly improve fitness over the course of only 120 generations. We identified two factors which negatively contribute to fitness in the absence of LOS, Mla and PldA. These proteins are involved in glycerophospholipid transport (Mla) and lipid degradation (PldA); both are active only on mislocalized, surface-exposed glycerophospholipids. Elimination of these two mechanisms was sufficient to cause a drastic fitness improvement in LOS-deficientA. baumannii. The LOS-deficient double mutant grows as robustly as LOS-positive wild-type bacteria while remaining resistant to the last-resort polymyxin antibiotics. These data provide strong biological evidence for the directionality of Mla-mediated glycerophospholipid transport in Gram-negative bacteria and furthers our knowledge of asymmetry-maintenance mechanisms in the context of the outer membrane barrier.

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