title: Expression of Escherichia coli TehA gives resistance to antiseptics and disinfectants similar to that conferred by multidrug resistance efflux pumps.
abstract: The genes tehAB located at 32.3 min on the Escherichia coli chromosome were initially identified by their ability to mediate resistance to potassium tellurite (128 micrograms of K2TeO3 per ml) when overexpressed with a high-copy-number plasmid. The genes encode an integral membrane protein (TehA) of 36 kDa with 10 putative transmembrane segments and a second protein (TehB) of 23 kDa. Overexpression of TehAB results in hypersensitivity to dequalinium CI and methyl viologen (paraquat). Expression of TehA alone gives similar hypersensitivity. Overexpression of TehA gave resistance to tetraphenylarsonium CI, ethidium bromide, crystal violet and proflavin. The efflux of ethidium, measured by fluorescence quenching, revealed that TehA transported ethidium at twice the control rate and 10% of the rate of the highly resistant efflux transporter Emr Eco. Addition of tellurite had no effect on ethidium transport. In addition to the ethidium transport assay, a proflavin fluorescence assay which was approximately 200-fold more sensitive was also used. TehA was also found to have proflavin efflux activity. The addition of TeO32- to the proflavin transport assay on TehA caused a 20% increase in transport rate. Both ethidium and proflavin transport were found to be energy dependent.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Weiner
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000891:Anti-Infective Agents, Local / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D001692:Biological Transport / Q000187:drug effects; D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D004202:Disinfectants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial / Q000235:genetics; D018432:Drug Resistance, Multiple / Q000235:genetics; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D004996:Ethidium / Q000378:metabolism; D005798:Genes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011370:Proflavine / Q000378:metabolism; D000644:Quaternary Ammonium Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology; D013691:Tellurium / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000891:Anti-Infective Agents, Local; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004396:Coloring Agents; D004202:Disinfectants; D000644:Quaternary Ammonium Compounds; C026899:potassium tellurate(IV); D011370:Proflavine; D004996:Ethidium; D013691:Tellurium