Detection of rifampin-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains by using a specialized oligonucleotide microarray

DNA microarray represents one of the major advances in diagnostic sequencing of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products. Until now, arrays have been relatively expensive, complex to perform, and difficult to interpret, limiting their wide application in the clinical laboratory. A moderate-density oligonucleotide microarray that can rapidly identify Mycobacterium tuberculosis rifampin-resistant strains was developed. The method is based on the detection of point mutations and other rearrangements in the rpoB gene region determining rifampin resistance. Rifampin resistance was determined by hybridizing fluorescently labeled, amplified genetic material generated from bacterial colonies to the array. Fifty-three rifampin-resistant M. tuberculosis and 15 rifampin-susceptible M. tuberculosis were tested and results were concordant with those based on culture drug susceptibility testing and sequencing. Rifampin-resistant clinical isolates were detected in as little as 1.5 hours after PCR amplification with visual results. It is demonstrated that oligonucleotide microarray is an efficient, specialized technique to implement and can be used as a rapid method for detecting rifampin resistance to complement standard culture-based method.     

PCR—SSCP快速检测结核分枝杆菌耐利福平rpoB基因的研究

目的探讨PCR—SSCP技术检测结核分枝杆菌耐利福平rpoB基因作为新的分子药敏试验方法的价值。方法应用PCR—SSCP技术检测结核分枝杆菌耐利福平rpoB基因核心区的突变，同时对片段长度为215bp的PCR扩增产物进行测序分析。受试菌为23株利福平敏感结核分枝杆菌以72．35株利福平抗性结核分枝杆菌。结果23株利福平敏感结核分枝杆菌分别用PCR—SSCP和PCR扩增片段测序均没有检测到巾0B碱基突变。而在35株利福平抗性菌株中，PCR—SSCP检测到31株与H37Rv标准株不同的带谱，PCR—SSCP检测基因突变的敏感度和特异度分别为88．6％（31／35）和100％（23／23）。对35株利福平抗性菌株PCR扩增产物进行测序分析，在其中32株中检出了基因突变。测序分析检测基因突变的敏感度和特异度分别为91．4％（32／35）和100％（23／23）。卡方检验，PCR—SSCP和PCR扩增片段测序两种方法的敏感度之间没有显著性差异（P〉0．05）。若以DNA测序为标准，则PCR—SSCP检测基因突变的准确度、敏感度和特异度分别为93．1％（54／58），96．9％（31／32）和100％（23／23）。结论PCR—SSCP检测结核分枝杆菌耐利福平rpoB基因突变可用于利福平药物敏感度的快速测定。     

Characterization of rifampin-resistance in pathogenic mycobacteria.

The emergence of rifampin-resistant strains of pathogenic mycobacteria has threatened the usefulness of this drug in treating mycobacterial diseases. Critical to the treatment of individuals infected with resistant strains is the rapid identification of these strains directly from clinical specimens. It has been shown that resistance to rifampin in Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium leprae apparently involves mutations in the rpoB gene encoding the beta-subunit of the RNA polymerases of these species. DNA sequences were obtained from a 305-bp fragment of the rpoB gene from 110 rifampin-resistant and 10 rifampin-susceptible strains of M. tuberculosis from diverse geographical regions throughout the world. In 102 of 110 rifampin-resistant strains 16 mutations affecting 13 amino acids were observed. No mutations were observed in rifampin-susceptible strains. No association was found between particular mutations in the rpoB gene and drug susceptibility patterns of multidrug-resistant M. tuberculosis strains. Drug-resistant M. tuberculosis strains from the same outbreak and exhibiting the same IS6110 DNA fingerprint and drug susceptibility pattern contained the same mutation in the rpoB gene. However, mutations are not correlated with IS6110 profiling outside of epidemics. The evolution of rifampin resistance as a consequence of mutations in the rpoB gene was documented in a patient who developed rifampin resistance during the course of treatment. Rifampin-resistant strains of M. leprae, Mycobacterium avium, and Mycobacterium africanum contained mutations in the rpoB gene similar to that documented for M. tuberculosis. This information served as the basis for developing a rapid DNA diagnostic assay (PCR-heteroduplex formation) for the detection of rifampin susceptibility of M. tuberculosis.     

Sequencing of the rpoB gene in Legionella pneumophila and characterization of mutations associated with rifampin resistance in the Legionellaceae

Rifampin in combination with erythromycin is a recommended treatment for severe cases of legionellosis. Mutations in the rpoB gene are known to cause rifampin resistance in Escherichia coli and Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and the purpose of the present study was to investigate a possible similar resistance mechanism within the members of the family Legionellaceae. Since the RNA polymerase genes of this genus have never been characterized, the DNA sequence of the Legionella pneumophila rpoB gene was determined by the Vectorette technique for genome walking. A 4,647-bp DNA sequence that contained the open reading frame (ORF) of the rpoB gene (4,104 bp) and an ORF of 384 bp representing part of the rpoC gene was obtained. A 316-bp DNA fragment in the center of the L. pneumophila rpoB gene, corresponding to a previously described site for mutations leading to rifampin resistance in M. tuberculosis, was sequenced from 18 rifampin-resistant Legionella isolates representing four species (L. bozemanii, L. longbeachae, L. micdadei, and L. pneumophila), and the sequences were compared to the sequences of the fragments from the parent (rifampin-sensitive) strains. Six single-base mutations which led to amino acid substitutions at five different positions were identified. A single strain did not contain any mutations in the 316-bp fragment. This study represents the characterization of a hitherto undescribed resistance mechanism within the family Legionellaceae.     

Mutation analysis of mycobacterial rpoB genes and rifampin resistance using recombinant Mycobacterium smegmatis

Rifampin is a major drug used to treat leprosy and tuberculosis. The rifampin resistance of Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium tuberculosis results from a mutation in the rpoB gene, encoding the β subunit of RNA polymerase. A method for the molecular determination of rifampin resistance in these two mycobacteria would be clinically valuable, but the relationship between the mutations and susceptibility to rifampin must be clarified before its use. Analyses of mutations responsible for rifampin resistance using clinical isolates present some limitations. Each clinical isolate has its own genetic variations in some loci other than rpoB, which might affect rifampin susceptibility. For this study, we constructed recombinant strains of Mycobacterium smegmatis carrying the M. leprae or M. tuberculosis rpoB gene with or without mutation and disrupted their own rpoB genes on the chromosome. The rifampin and rifabutin susceptibilities of the recombinant bacteria were measured to examine the influence of the mutations. The results confirmed that several mutations detected in clinical isolates of these two pathogenic mycobacteria can confer rifampin resistance, but they also suggested that some mutations detected in M. leprae isolates or rifampin-resistant M. tuberculosis isolates are not involved in rifampin resistance.     

Rifampin resistance in Mycobacterium kansasii is associated with rpoB mutations

Rifampin is the most potent drug used in the treatment of disease due to Mycobacterium kansasii. A 69-bp fragment of rpoB, the gene that encodes the beta subunit of the bacterial RNA polymerase, was sequenced and found to be identical in five rifampin-susceptible clinical isolates of M. kansasii. This sequence showed 87% homology with the Mycobacterium tuberculosis gene, with an identical deduced amino acid sequence. In contrast, missense mutations were detected in the same fragment amplified from five rifampin-resistant isolates. A rifampin-resistant strain generated in vitro also harbored an rpoB gene missense mutation that was not present in the parent isolate. All mutations detected (in codons 513, 526, and 531) have previously been described in rifampin-resistant M. tuberculosis isolates. Rifampin MICs determined by E-test were <1 mg/liter for all rifampin-susceptible isolates and >256 mg/liter for all rifampin-resistant ones. In addition, four of the five rifampin-resistant isolates were also resistant to rifabutin. We have thus shown a strong association between rpoB gene missense mutations and rifampin resistance in M. kansasii. Although our results are derived from a small number of isolates and confirmation with larger numbers would be useful, they strongly suggest that mutations within rpoB form the molecular basis of rifampin resistance in this species.     

Molecular Analysis of Codon 548 in the rpoB Gene Involved in Mycobacterium tuberculosis Resistance to Rifampin

Most Mycobacterium tuberculosis rifampin-resistant strains have been associated with mutations in an 81-bp rifampin resistance-determining region (RRDR) in the gene rpoB. However, if this region alone were targeted, rifampin-resistant strains with mutations outside the RRDR would not be detected. In this study, among 51 rifampin-resistant clinical isolates analyzed by sequencing 1,681-bp-long DNA fragments containing the RRDR, 47 isolates contained mutations within the RRDR, three isolates contained mutations both within and outside the RRDR, and only one isolate had a single missense mutation (Arg548His) located outside the RRDR. A drug susceptibility test of recombinant Mycobacterium smegmatis and M. tuberculosis isolates carrying mutated rpoB (Arg548His) showed an increased MIC for rifampin compared to that of the control strains. Modeling of the Arg548His mutant RpoB-DNA complex revealed that the His548 side chain formed a more stable hydrogen bond structure than did Arg548, reducing the flexibility of the rifampin-resistant cluster II region of RpoB, suggesting that the RpoB Arg548His mutant does not effectively interact with rifampin and results in bacterial resistance to the drug. This is the first report on the relationship between the mutation in codon 548 of RpoB and rifampin resistance in tuberculosis. The novel mutational profile of the rpoB gene described here will contribute to the comprehensive understanding of rifampin resistance patterns and to the development of a useful tool for simple and rapid drug susceptibility tests.     

武汉地区耐利福平结核分枝杆菌rpoB基因突变分析

摘要：目的：探讨武汉地区结核分枝杆菌（MTB）利福平耐药株rpoB基因的突变特征。 方法：对76例MTB临床分离株包括rpoB核心区域81 bp碱基在内的428 bp碱基进行PCR测定,并进行DNA序列分析。 结果：76例临床分离MTB中利福平耐药株56例,敏感株20例。耐药株中92.9%（52/56）存在突变,共涉及10个密码子的18种突变类型。 531、526为常见突变位点,其突变率分别为57.7%(30/52)、19.2%(10/52);联合突变率为13.5%（7/52）;同时发现了509位（AGC→AGA）新的突变类型和国内少见的517位CAG缺失类型。 结论：rpoB基因突变在武汉地区利福平耐药MTB中广泛存在,并存在新的突变位点。     

Pyrosequencing-based approach for rapid detection of rifampin-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Rifampin resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis could be determined within 2 h by using pyrosequencing-based approach. Pyrosequencing results of rifampin-resistant (n = 21) and rifampin-susceptible (n = 20) M. tuberculosis isolates were concordant with those based on drug susceptibility testing and conventional DNA sequencing. Results showed pyrosequencing-based approach is a rapid, sensitive, and efficient detection method of rifampin-resistant M. tuberculosis.     

Evaluation of mycobacteria growth indicator tubes for susceptibility testing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to isoniazid and rifampin

The reliability of mycobacteria growth indicator tubes (Mgit) for determining the susceptibility of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to isoniazid (0.1 μg/ml) and rifampin (2.0 μg/ml) was evaluated by comparing Mgit results to those obtained by the radiometric Bactec TB method. We tested 29 isolates, many selected for resistance. The turnaround times were 3–8 days (median 6) for Mgit and 4–10 days (median 6) for Bactec. Isoniazid results by both methods agreed for all isolates tested: 20 resistant and nine susceptible. Rifampin results agreed for 28 isolates: 10 resistant and 18 susceptible. One isolate yielded discrepant results: resistant to rifampin by Bactec, but susceptible by Mgit. This isolate was also rifampin-resistant by the traditional Method of Proportion and when tested by the Mgit method using 1.0 μg/ml of rifampin. The Mgit system is a nonradiometric alternative to the Bactec for rapid susceptibility testing of M. tuberculosis to isoniazid and rifampin; however, additional testing is needed to determine the optimal concentration of rifampin.     

Impact of ciprofloxacin exposure on Staphylococcus aureus genomic alterations linked with emergence of rifampin resistance

Intensive use of antimicrobial agents in health care settings not only leads to the selection of multiresistant nosocomial isolates of Staphylococcus aureus but may also promote endogenous, resistance-conferring mutations in bacterial genes that encode drug targets. We evaluated the spectrum of rifampin resistance-conferring mutations in cultures of methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) or methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strains exposed in vitro to sub-MICs of ciprofloxacin. Growth of ciprofloxacin-susceptible MRSA strain MRGR3 and ciprofloxacin-resistant MSSA strain RA1 (a NCTC 8325 derivative) in the presence of 1/2× or 1/4× MIC of ciprofloxacin led to higher frequencies of rifampin-resistant mutants on agar supplemented with rifampin (0.25 mg/liter) than under ciprofloxacin-free conditions. While rifampin-resistant mutants from ciprofloxacin-free cultures essentially showed single-amino-acid substitutions, a significant proportion of rifampin-resistant mutants from ciprofloxacin-exposed cultures displayed in-frame deletions or insertions in the rpoB gene at several positions of the rifampin resistance cluster I. In-frame deletions or insertions were also recorded in rpoB cluster I of rifampin-resistant mutants from ciprofloxacin-exposed cultures of mutS and mutL DNA repair mutants of ciprofloxacin-resistant S. aureus strain RA1. Frequencies of rifampin-resistant mutants grown under ciprofloxacin-free medium were higher for mutant strains RA1 mutS2 and RA1 mutL, but not RA1 recA, than for their parent RA1. In conclusion, ciprofloxacin-mediated DNA damage in S. aureus, as exemplified by the wide diversity of deletions or insertions in rpoB, suggests the occurrence of major, quinolone-mediated disturbances in DNA fork progression and replication repair. Besides promoting antibiotic resistance, accumulation of unrepaired DNA replication errors, including insertions and deletions, may also contribute to potentially lethal mutations.     

Comparative antimycobacterial activities of rifampin, rifapentine, and KRM-1648 against a collection of rifampin-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates with known rpoB mutations.

A collection of 24 rifampin-resistant clinical isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis with characterized RNA polymerase beta-subunit (rpoB) gene mutations was tested against the antimycobacterial agents rifampin, rifapentine, and KRM-1648 to correlate levels of resistance with specific rpoB genotypes. The results indicate that KRM-1648 is more active in vitro than rifampin and rifapentine, and its ability to overcome rifampin resistance in strains with four different genetic alterations may prove to be useful in understanding structure-function relationships.     

耐利福平结核分枝杆菌rpoB基因序列研究

目的 研究杭州地区结核分枝杆菌（Mycobacterium tuberculosis）对利福平（RFP）的耐受与rpoB基因突变的关系。方法 随机挑选了90例结核杆菌感染的病例。选择了利福平作为主要的药物进行药敏实验，PCR扩增39株耐RFP结核分支杆菌的rpoB基因片段（580bp）；测定扩增片段的序列。并与美国国立生物信息中心（www．ncbi．nlm．nih．gov／nucleotide）检索获得结核杆菌野生株（利福平敏感株）序列（登陆号：AJ749948）作对比分析。结果 结果显示PCR结核测序方法得到了39例结核杆菌耐药株。51例敏感株，与药敏实验的方法检测的结果完全一致。测定的11株临床分离的耐药株中，526位或531位有突变，其中526位有突变的有7株，占耐药测定株63．6%，531位突变的有4株。占耐药测定株36．4％。未见两位点同时突变。检测的11株敏感株，未见526位或531位有突变。结论 杭州地区结核分支杆菌耐利福平的发生与rpoB基因的526位或531位突变密切相关，与国外的报告基本相似。但526位突变占耐药测定株高达63．6％。如此高比例目前国内外未见相似报道。PCR扩增和产物测序将是临床检测结核分支杆菌耐利福平和耐多药的一种迅速、准确的方法。     

结核分枝杆菌耐利福平基因变异株的体外最小抑菌浓度研究

目的：研究结核分枝杆菌（MTB）耐利福平临床分离株基因突变对其体外最小抑菌浓度（MIC）测定结果的影响。方法用基因芯片对临床分离的对利福平耐药的175株 MTB及对利福平敏感的48株 MTB进行耐药基因检测;并对所有标本进行利福平的 MIC测定,比较不同变异株的 MIC测定结果。结果对利福平耐药的 MTB 临床分离株基因突变以531、526、516、533位点单突变为主;531位点单突变的利福平耐药变异株 MIC 高于526位点单突变的耐药变异株,差异有统计学意义（t′＝2．2237,t′α＝2．0449,P＜0．05）;526位点单突变的利福平耐药变异株 MIC高于516位点单突变的耐药变异株,差异有统计学意义（t＝2．2056,P＝0．0329,P＜0．05）。双突变者均有较高的 MIC测定值。结论合理的基因芯片设计能检出95．0％以上的对利福平耐药 MTB变异株;对利福平耐药的 MTB变异株有不同的基因突变模式,且不同突变模式的 MTB耐药程度不同,可以为临床用药提供参考。     

A rifampin-hypersensitive mutant reveals differences between strains of Mycobacterium smegmatis and presence of a novel transposon, IS1623

Rifampin is a front-line antibiotic for the treatment of tuberculosis. Infections caused by rifampin- and multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains are difficult to treat and contribute to a poor clinical outcome. Rifampin resistance most often results from mutations in rpoB. However, some drug-resistant strains have rpoB alleles that encode the phenotype for susceptibility. Similarly, non-M. tuberculosis mycobacteria exhibit higher levels of baseline resistance to rifampin, despite the presence of rpoB alleles that encode the phenotype for susceptibility. To identify other genes involved in rifampin resistance, we generated a library of Mycobacterium smegmatis mc(2)155 transposon insertion mutants. Upon screening this library, we identified one mutant that was hypersensitive to rifampin. The transposon insertion was localized to the arr gene, which encodes rifampin ADP ribosyltransferase, an enzyme able to inactivate rifampin. Sequence analysis revealed differences in the arr alleles of M. smegmatis strain mc(2)155 and previously described strain DSM 43756. The arr region of strain mc(2)155 contains a second, partial copy of the arr gene plus a novel insertion sequence, IS1623.     

结核分枝杆菌利福平耐药基因的检测

以药物敏感试验为标准，应用聚合酶链反应－单链构象多态性分析方法对６８例利福平耐药菌株和２０例利福平敏感菌株进行测定，结果８８例结核分枝杆菌均扩增出目标ＤＮＡ条带，１０例非结核分枝杆菌和８例非分枝杆菌未出现目标ＤＮＡ条带，所用引物扩增ｒｐｏＢ基因２１５ｂｐ片段为结核分枝杆菌复合群异性的。     

The rpoB gene of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

A portion of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis gene encoding the beta subunit of RNA polymerase (rpoB) was amplified by PCR using degenerate oligonucleotides and used as a hybridization probe to isolate plasmid clones carrying the entire rpoB gene of M. tuberculosis H37Rv, a virulent, rifampin-susceptible strain. Sequence analysis of a 5,084-bp SacI genomic DNA fragment revealed a 3,534-bp open reading frame encoding an 1,178-amino-acid protein with 57% identity with the Escherichia coli beta subunit. This SacI fragment also carried a portion of the rpoC gene located 43 bp downstream from the 3' end of the rpoB open reading frame; this organization is similar to that of the rpoBC operon of E. coli. The M. tuberculosis rpoB gene was cloned into the shuttle plasmid pMV261 and electroporated into the LR223 strain of Mycobacterium smegmatis, which is highly resistant to rifampin (MIC > 200 micrograms/ml). The resulting transformants were relatively rifampin susceptible (MIC = 50 micrograms/ml). Using PCR mutagenesis techniques, we introduced a specific rpoB point mutation (associated with clinical strains of rifampin-resistant M. tuberculosis) into the cloned M. tuberculosis rpoB gene and expressed this altered gene in the LR222 strain of M. smegmatis, which is susceptible to rifampin (MIC = 25 micrograms/ml). The resulting transformants were rifampin resistant (MIC = 200 micrograms/ml). The mutagenesis and expression strategy of the cloned M. tuberculosis rpoB gene that we have employed in this study will allow us to determine the rpoB mutations that are responsible for rifampin resistance in M. tuberculosis.     

Activity of eleven antimicrobial agents against methicillin-, methicillin- and rifampin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Activity of eleven antimicrobial agents against methicillin-, methicillin- and rifampin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was studied using a microtiter broth dilution technique. Coumermycin was the most active agent. Vancomycin, rifampin, fusidic acid and N-formimidoyl-thienamycin showed excellent activity against methicillin-resistant St. aureus (MRSA). Antimicrobial susceptibility pattern was similar for MRSA and methicillin- and rifampin-resistant St. aureus. 8% of MRSA were resistant to trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole.     

High-throughput mutation detection method to scan BRCA1 and BRCA2 based on heteroduplex analysis by capillary array electrophoresis

BACKGROUND: Scanning for mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 in a large number of samples is hampered by the large sizes of these genes and the scattering of mutations throughout their coding sequences. Automated capillary electrophoresis has been shown to be a powerful system to detect mutations by either single-strand conformation polymorphism or heteroduplex analysis (HA). METHODS: We investigated the adaptation of gel-based HA of BRCA1 and BRCA2 to a fluorescent multicapillary platform to increase the throughput of this technique. We combined multiplex PCR, three different fluorescent labels, and HA in a 16-capillary DNA sequencer and tested 57 DNA sequence variants (11 insertions/deletions and 46 single-nucleotide changes) of BRCA1 and BRCA2. RESULTS: We detected all 57 DNA changes in a blinded assay, and 2 additional single-nucleotide substitutions (1186 A>G of BRCA1 and 3624 A>G of BRCA2), previously unresolved by conformation-sensitive gel electrophoresis. Furthermore, different DNA changes in the same PCR fragment could be distinguished by their peak patterns. CONCLUSIONS: Capillary-based HA is a fast, efficient, and sensitive method that considerably reduces the amount of "hands-on" time for each sample. By this approach, the entire coding regions of BRCA1 and BRCA2 from two breast cancer patients can be scanned in a single run of 90 min.     

Detection of nucleotide variability in rpoB in both rifampin-sensitive and rifampin-resistant strains of Chlamydia trachomatis

A 656-bp PCR fragment from rpoB was sequenced from five rifampin-resistant Chlamydia trachomatis variants selected in vitro from a wild-type parent with a surprising level of genetic variability in this region. Three variants (MIC, 4 microg/ml) showed Ala522-->Val in cluster I (codons 507 to 533), which harbors mutations in most rifampin-resistant bacteria. Two high-level resistance variants (MICs, 64 and 256 microg/ml) showed His526-->Tyr in cluster I with additional genetic variation, some of which resulted in amino acid substitutions. None of the latter was situated in clusters related to rifampin resistance in other bacteria.