Deletion of ArmPT, a LamB-like protein, increases cell membrane permeability and antibiotic sensitivity in Vibrio alginolyticus.

Vibrio bacterial species are dominant pathogens in mariculture animals. However, the extensive use of antibiotics and other chemicals has increased drug resistance in Vibrio bacteria. Despite rigorous investigative studies, the mechanism of drug resistance in Vibrio remains a mystery. In this study, we found that a gene encoding LamB-like outer membrane protein, named ArmPT, was upregulated in Va under antibiotic stress by RT-qPCR. We speculated that ArmPT might play a role in Va's drug resistance. Subsequently, using ArmPT gene knockout and gene complementation experiments, we confirmed its role in resistance against a variety of antibiotics, particularly kanamycin (KA). Transcriptomic and proteomic analyses identified 188 and 83 differentially expressed genes in the mutant strain compared with the wild-type (WT) before and after KA stress, respectively. Bioinformatic analysis predicted that ArmPT might control cell membrane permeability by changing cadaverine biosynthesis, thereby influencing the cell entry of antibiotics in Va. The higher levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species and the infused content of KA showed that antibiotics are more likely to enter the Va mutant strain. These results uncover the drug resistance mechanism of Va that can also exist in other similar pathogenic bacteria.

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Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.