Genome-wide transcriptome analysis of fluoroquinolone resistance in clinical isolates of Escherichia coli.

OBJECTIVES

Coincident with their worldwide use, resistance to fluoroquinolones in Escherichia coli has increased. To identify the gene expression profiles underlying fluoroquinolone resistance, we carried out genome-wide transcriptome analysis of fluoroquinolone-sensitive E. coli.

METHODS

Four fluoroquinolone-sensitive E. coli and five fluoroquinolone-resistant E. coli clinical isolates were subjected to complementary deoxyribonucleic acid microarray analysis. Some upregulated genes' expression was verified by real-time polymerase chain reaction using 104 E. coli clinical isolates, and minimum inhibitory concentration tests were carried out by using their transformants.

RESULTS

A total of 40 genes were significantly upregulated in fluoroquinolone-resistant E. coli isolates (P < 0.05). The expression of phage shock protein operons, which are involved in biofilm formation, was markedly upregulated in our profile of fluoroquinolone-resistant E. coli. One of the phage shock protein operons, pspC, was significantly upregulated in 50 fluoroquinolone-resistant E. coli isolates (P < 0.0001). The expression of type I fimbriae genes, which are pilus operons involved in biofilm formation, were markedly downregulated in fluoroquinolone-resistant E. coli. Deoxyribonucleic acid adenine methyltransferase (dam), which represses type I fimbriae genes, was significantly upregulated in the clinical fluoroquinolone-resistant E. coli isolates (P = 0.007). We established pspC- and dam-expressing E. coli transformants from fluoroquinolone-sensitive E. coli, and the minimum inhibitory concentration tests showed that the transformants acquired fluoroquinolone resistance, suggesting that upregulation of these genes contributes to acquiring fluoroquinolone resistance.

CONCLUSIONS

Upregulation of psp operones and dam underlying pilus operons downregulation might be associated with fluoroquinolone resistance in E. coli.