Molecular characterization of ABC-type multidrug efflux systems in Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longumT JCM 1217
A healthy and stable gastrointestinal microbiota is a vital feature of the innate immune system. It affords the host numerous health benefits and acts as a barrier against opportunistic gut infections. Probiotic bacterial supplements are, therefore, widely used in industry to promote good health. There is, however, a need to understand not only the factors underlying the health promoting capabilities of these bacteria, but also the intrinsic antimicrobial resistance mechanisms which these bacteria are known to harbour. These antibiotic resistance traits confer a competitive advantage on these bacteria over other bacterial species where they reside in the gut. It also allows them to survive during antibiotic therapy and they are able to continue conferring health benefits on the host. To better understand the mechanisms these bacteria utilize in conferring antibiotic resistance, genes which confer multidrug resistance by the active hydrolysis of ATP were studied here. These genes belong to the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) family of efflux transporters.
Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
Department of Molecular and Cell Biology