Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy logoLink to Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy
. 1977 Mar;11(3):528–533. doi: 10.1128/aac.11.3.528

Plasmid-Mediated Beta-Lactamase Production in Neisseria gonorrhoeae

Lynn P Elwell 1, Marilyn Roberts 1, Leonard W Mayer 1, Stanley Falkow 1
PMCID: PMC352016  PMID: 404964

Abstract

Several β-lactamase-producing, penicillin-resistant strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae were examined for R plasmids. Penicillin-resistant strains isolated from men returning from the Far East and their contacts contained a 4.4 × 106-dalton plasmid in common. Transformation studies and the isolation of a spontaneous penicillin-susceptible segregant showed that the structural gene for β-lactamase was part of the 4.4 × 106-dalton plasmid. An additional penicillin-resistant gonococcal strain isolated in London was found to harbor a 3.2 × 106-dalton R plasmid. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)-DNA duplex studies revealed that the penicillin-resistant gonococcal isolates contained a significant portion (about 40%) of the transposable DNA sequence, TnA, which includes the β-lactamase gene commonly found on R plasmids of the Enterobacteriaceae and Haemophilus influenzae.

Full text

PDF
528

Images in this article

530Image
on p.530

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Anderson E. S. The ecology of transferable drug resistance in the enterobacteria. Annu Rev Microbiol. 1968;22:131–180. doi: 10.1146/annurev.mi.22.100168.001023. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Ashford W. A., Golash R. G., Hemming V. G. Penicillinase-producing Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Lancet. 1976 Sep 25;2(7987):657–658. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(76)92467-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bennett P. M., Richmond M. H. Translocation of a discrete piece of deoxyribonucleic acid carrying an amp gene between replicons in Eschericha coli. J Bacteriol. 1976 Apr;126(1):1–6. doi: 10.1128/jb.126.1.1-6.1976. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Cohen S. N., Chang A. C., Hsu L. Nonchromosomal antibiotic resistance in bacteria: genetic transformation of Escherichia coli by R-factor DNA. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1972 Aug;69(8):2110–2114. doi: 10.1073/pnas.69.8.2110. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Cohen S. N., Kopecko D. J. Structural evolution of bacterial plasmids: role of translocating genetic elements and DNA sequence insertions. Fed Proc. 1976 Jul;35(9):2031–2036. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Cohen S. N. Transposable genetic elements and plasmid evolution. Nature. 1976 Oct 28;263(5580):731–738. doi: 10.1038/263731a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Crosa J. H., Brenner D. J., Falkow S. Use of a single-strand specific nuclease for analysis of bacterial and plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid homo- and heteroduplexes. J Bacteriol. 1973 Sep;115(3):904–911. doi: 10.1128/jb.115.3.904-911.1973. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. De Graaff J., Elwell L. P., Falkow S. Molecular nature of two beta-lactamase-specifying plasmids isolated from Haemophilus influenzae type b. J Bacteriol. 1976 Apr;126(1):439–446. doi: 10.1128/jb.126.1.439-446.1976. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Elwell L. P., De Graaff J., Seibert D., Falkow S. Plasmid-linked ampicillin resistance in haempohilus influenza type b. Infect Immun. 1975 Aug;12(2):404–410. doi: 10.1128/iai.12.2.404-410.1975. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Engelkirk P. G., Schoenhard D. E. Physical evidence of a plasmid in Neisseria gonorrhoeae. J Infect Dis. 1973 Feb;127(2):197–200. doi: 10.1093/infdis/127.2.197. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Fitzgerald T. J., Miller J. N., Sykes J. A. Treponema pallidum (Nichols strain) in tissue cultures: cellular attachment, entry, and survival. Infect Immun. 1975 May;11(5):1141–1146. doi: 10.1128/iai.11.5.1141-1146.1975. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Guerry P., LeBlanc D. J., Falkow S. General method for the isolation of plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid. J Bacteriol. 1973 Nov;116(2):1064–1066. doi: 10.1128/jb.116.2.1064-1066.1973. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Hedges R. W., Jacob A. E. Transposition of ampicillin resistance from RP4 to other replicons. Mol Gen Genet. 1974;132(1):31–40. doi: 10.1007/BF00268228. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Heffron F., Rubens C., Falkow S. Translocation of a plasmid DNA sequence which mediates ampicillin resistance: molecular nature and specificity of insertion. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1975 Sep;72(9):3623–3627. doi: 10.1073/pnas.72.9.3623. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Heffron F., Sublett R., Hedges R. W., Jacob A., Falkow S. Origin of the TEM-beta-lactamase gene found on plasmids. J Bacteriol. 1975 Apr;122(1):250–256. doi: 10.1128/jb.122.1.250-256.1975. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Khan W., Ross S., Rodriguez W., Controni G., Saz A. K. Haemophilus influenzae type B resistant to ampicillin. A report of two cases. JAMA. 1974 Jul 15;229(3):298–301. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Mayer L. W., Holmes K. K., Falkow S. Characterization of plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid from Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Infect Immun. 1974 Oct;10(4):712–717. doi: 10.1128/iai.10.4.712-717.1974. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Meyers J. A., Sanchez D., Elwell L. P., Falkow S. Simple agarose gel electrophoretic method for the identification and characterization of plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid. J Bacteriol. 1976 Sep;127(3):1529–1537. doi: 10.1128/jb.127.3.1529-1537.1976. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. O'Callaghan C. H., Morris A., Kirby S. M., Shingler A. H. Novel method for detection of beta-lactamases by using a chromogenic cephalosporin substrate. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1972 Apr;1(4):283–288. doi: 10.1128/aac.1.4.283. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Phillips I. Beta-lactamase-producing, penicillin-resistant gonococcus. Lancet. 1976 Sep 25;2(7987):656–657. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(76)92466-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Rubens C., Heffron F., Falkow S. Transposition of a plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid sequence that mediates ampicillin resistance: independence from host rec functions and orientation of insertion. J Bacteriol. 1976 Oct;128(1):425–434. doi: 10.1128/jb.128.1.425-434.1976. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. So M., Crosa J. H., Falkow S. Polynucleotide sequence relationships among Ent plasmids and the relationship between Ent and other plasmids. J Bacteriol. 1975 Jan;121(1):234–238. doi: 10.1128/jb.121.1.234-238.1975. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Stiffler P. W., Lerner S. A., Bohnhoff M., Morello J. A. Plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid in clinical isolates of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. J Bacteriol. 1975 Jun;122(3):1293–1300. doi: 10.1128/jb.122.3.1293-1300.1975. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Van A. D., Bieth G., Bouanchaud D. H. Résistance plasmidique à la tétracycline chez Haemophilus influenzae. C R Acad Sci Hebd Seances Acad Sci D. 1975 Mar 10;280(10):1321–1323. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Van A. D., Goldstein F., Acar J. F., Bouanchaud D. H. A transferable kanamycin resistance plasmid isolated from Haemophilus influenzae. Ann Microbiol (Paris) 1975 Apr;126(3):397–399. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES