Scientists decode bacterial mechanism driving drug resistance
Baku, April 27, AZERTAC
Bacteria can prevent neighboring bacteria from acquiring useful genes, including those that confer antibiotic resistance, by destroying shared DNA during transfer, according to a team of Israeli, Indian and German researchers who found that microbes exert far more control over genetic exchange than previously thought, according to TPS-IL.
Antibiotic resistance is the ability of bacteria to survive and continue multiplying despite treatment with drugs that would normally kill them or stop their growth. It is caused by genetic changes in bacteria, often driven by the overuse and misuse of antibiotics, which allow resistant strains to emerge and spread.
As bacteria evolve to withstand existing drugs, illnesses such as pneumonia, urinary tract infections and bloodstream infections are becoming harder — and sometimes impossible — to cure. Health authorities, including the World Health Organization, warn that resistant infections already contribute to millions of deaths each year worldwide and could rise sharply without effective intervention.
The study, led by scientists at The Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School in Jerusalem, found that bacteria are not simply open systems that freely share useful traits. Instead, they can block the transfer of beneficial genes to neighboring cells by destroying incoming DNA before it takes hold. Also involved were researchers from the Central Food Technological Research Institute of Mysore, India, and Germany’s Institute for Cell Biology at the University of Tübingen.
“This discovery changes how we think about bacterial communities,” said Hebrew University’s Prof. Sigal Ben-Yehuda, one of the study’s lead authors. “Bacteria are not just cooperating by sharing genes — they are competing and carefully deciding what to keep and what to reject.”
Bacteria often exchange genetic material through plasmids, small DNA molecules that can carry advantageous traits such as antibiotic resistance. The research focused on a relatively recently identified mechanism of gene transfer involving tiny structures known as nanotubes, which connect neighboring bacterial cells and allow direct, contact-based DNA exchange.
Unlike more familiar processes such as transformation or conjugation, nanotube-mediated transfer allows DNA to move in both directions, enabling cells to either donate or acquire genetic material.
However, the study found that this exchange is far from unrestricted. The researchers identified a protein called YokF that acts as a molecular barrier, selectively degrading DNA as it passes through these nanotubes.
“YokF functions like a gatekeeper,” said Prof. Ilan Rosenshine, a co-author of the study. “It can stop plasmids in their tracks, preventing other bacteria from gaining traits that might otherwise give them an advantage.”
By limiting the spread of plasmids, YokF reduces how quickly antibiotic resistance genes can move through bacterial populations. This suggests that bacteria may use such mechanisms to maintain a competitive edge in crowded environments, where access to beneficial genes can determine survival.
Further analysis showed that similar proteins are widespread among many Gram-positive bacteria, indicating that this form of genetic control is likely common rather than exceptional.
“Understanding how bacteria control DNA transfer opens new possibilities,” Ben-Yehuda said. “If we can learn to influence these mechanisms, we may be able to slow or limit the spread of antibiotic resistance.”
By targeting proteins like YokF or mimicking their “gatekeeping” function, scientists may be able to limit how quickly resistance genes move between bacteria, helping preserve the effectiveness of existing drugs. More broadly, the ability to control which genes are shared could allow researchers to shape bacterial populations — promoting beneficial microbes while restricting harmful ones in the human body or agriculture.
The research also has implications for biotechnology and future treatments. A better understanding of how bacteria block DNA transfer could help improve gene transfer techniques used to produce drugs, enzymes and biofuels, either by overcoming these natural defenses or by using them to prevent engineered genes from spreading uncontrollably. In addition, it points toward new antimicrobial strategies that focus not on killing bacteria outright, but on preventing them from acquiring traits that make them more dangerous.
The research was published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Microbiology.
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