TY - JOUR
T1 - Inhibiting plasmid mobility
T2 - The effect of isothiocyanates on bacterial conjugation
AU - Kwapong, Awo Afi
AU - Stapleton, Paul
AU - Gibbons, Simon
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019
PY - 2019/5
Y1 - 2019/5
N2 - Bacterial conjugation is the main mechanism for the transfer of multiple antimicrobial resistance genes among pathogenic micro-organisms. This process may be controlled by compounds that inhibit bacterial conjugation. In this study, the effects of allyl isothiocyanate, L-sulforaphane, benzyl isothiocyanate, phenylethyl isothiocyanate and 4-methoxyphenyl isothiocyanate on the conjugation of broad-host-range plasmids harbouring various antimicrobial resistance genes in Escherichia coli were investigated, namely plasmids pKM101 (IncN), TP114 (IncI 2 ), pUB307 (IncP) and the low-copy-number plasmid R7K (IncW). Benzyl isothiocyanate (32 mg/L) significantly reduced conjugal transfer of pKM101, TP114 and pUB307 to 0.3 ± 0.6%, 10.7 ± 3.3% and 6.5 ± 1.0%, respectively. L-sulforaphane (16 mg/L; transfer frequency 21.5 ± 5.1%) and 4-methoxyphenyl isothiocyanate (100 mg/L; transfer frequency 5.2 ± 2.8%) were the only compounds showing anti-conjugal specificity by actively reducing the transfer of R7K and pUB307, respectively.
AB - Bacterial conjugation is the main mechanism for the transfer of multiple antimicrobial resistance genes among pathogenic micro-organisms. This process may be controlled by compounds that inhibit bacterial conjugation. In this study, the effects of allyl isothiocyanate, L-sulforaphane, benzyl isothiocyanate, phenylethyl isothiocyanate and 4-methoxyphenyl isothiocyanate on the conjugation of broad-host-range plasmids harbouring various antimicrobial resistance genes in Escherichia coli were investigated, namely plasmids pKM101 (IncN), TP114 (IncI 2 ), pUB307 (IncP) and the low-copy-number plasmid R7K (IncW). Benzyl isothiocyanate (32 mg/L) significantly reduced conjugal transfer of pKM101, TP114 and pUB307 to 0.3 ± 0.6%, 10.7 ± 3.3% and 6.5 ± 1.0%, respectively. L-sulforaphane (16 mg/L; transfer frequency 21.5 ± 5.1%) and 4-methoxyphenyl isothiocyanate (100 mg/L; transfer frequency 5.2 ± 2.8%) were the only compounds showing anti-conjugal specificity by actively reducing the transfer of R7K and pUB307, respectively.
KW - Bacterial conjugation
KW - Conjugative plasmid
KW - Effector protein
KW - Horizontal gene transfer
KW - Isothiocyanate
KW - Plasmid incompatibility group
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85062060408&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2019.01.011
DO - 10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2019.01.011
M3 - Article
C2 - 30685311
AN - SCOPUS:85062060408
SN - 0924-8579
VL - 53
SP - 629
EP - 636
JO - International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents
JF - International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents
IS - 5
ER -