A novel replication initiation region encoded in a widespread Acinetobacter plasmid lineage carrying a blaNDM-1 gene

TL;DR

A new plasmid region helps spread antibiotic resistance genes in Acinetobacter bacteria.

Contribution

Discovery of a novel replication region in a plasmid lineage carrying the blaNDM-1 gene.

Findings

The minimal replication region of plasmid pAhaeAN54e encodes three peptides important for plasmid maintenance.

Plasmids with this region are widespread and often carry blaNDM genes across multiple Acinetobacter species.

These plasmids lack a Rep gene, indicating replication depends on the newly identified region.

Abstract

The blaNDM-1 gene and its variants encode metallo-beta-lactamases that confer resistance to almost all beta-lactam antibiotics. Genes encoding blaNDM-1 and its variants can be found in several Acinetobacter species, and they are usually linked to two different plasmid clades. The plasmids in one of these clades contain a gene encoding a Rep protein of the Rep_3 superfamily. The other clade consists of medium-sized plasmids in which the gene (s) involved in plasmid replication initiation (rep)have not yet been identified. In the present study, we identified the minimal replication region of a blaNDM-1-carrying plasmid of Acinetobacter haemolyticus AN54 (pAhaeAN54e), a member of this second clade. This region of 834 paired bases encodes three small peptides, all of which have roles in plasmid maintenance. The plasmids containing this minimal replication region are closely related; almost all contain blaNDM genes, and they are found in multiple Acinetobacter species, including A. baumannii. None of these plasmids contain an annotated Rep gene, suggesting that their replication relies on the minimal replication region that they share with the plasmid pAhaeAN54e. These observations suggest that this plasmid lineage plays a crucial role in the dissemination of the blaNDM-1 gene and its variants.

Figures