1. Selected mechanisms of colistin resistance
Selected mechanisms of colistin resistance The bactericidal activity of colistin relies on disruption of the bacterial cell membrane, initiated by electrostatic interaction between colistin and the lipid A portion of bacterial LPS. Immediate, albeit non-specific, resistance to colistin is mediated through transcriptional up-regulation of drug efflux pumps. Specific resistance to colistin is facilitated by the plasmid-mediated mcr-1 gene, encoding a phosphoethanolamine transferase, which modifies lipid A with a phosphoethanolamine (PEP) group, preventing interaction between colistin and lipid A.
Henrietta Venter et al. Essays Biochem. 2017;61:1-10
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