title: Mosaic-like structure of penicillin-binding protein 2 Gene (penA) in clinical isolates of Neisseria gonorrhoeae with reduced susceptibility to cefixime.
abstract: Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains with reduced susceptibility to cefixime (MICs, 0.25 to 0.5 micro g/ml) were isolated from male urethritis patients in Tokyo, Japan, in 2000 and 2001. The resistance to cephems including cefixime and penicillin was transferred to a susceptible recipient, N. gonorrhoeae ATCC 19424, by transformation of the penicillin-binding protein 2 gene (penA) that had been amplified by PCR from a strain with reduced susceptibility to cefixime (MIC, 0.5 micro g/ml). The sequences of penA in the strains with reduced susceptibilities to cefixime were different from those of other susceptible isolates and did not correspond to the reported N. gonorrhoeae penA gene sequences. Some regions in the transpeptidase-encoding domain in this penA gene were similar to those in the penA genes of Neisseria perflava (N. sicca), Neisseria cinerea, Neisseria flavescens, and Neisseria meningitidis. These results showed that a mosaic-like structure in the penA gene conferred reductions in the levels of susceptibility of N. gonorrhoeae to cephems and penicillin in a manner similar to that found for N. meningitidis and Streptococcus pneumoniae.
authors.affiliation: Research Laboratories, Toyama Chemical Co., Ltd., 2-4-1, Shimookui, Japan. SATOSHI_AMEYAMA@toyama-chemical.co.jp
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ameyama
authors.forename: Shoichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Onodera
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takahata
authors.forename: Shinzaburo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Minami
authors.forename: Nobuko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Maki
authors.forename: Katsuhisa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Endo
authors.forename: Hirokazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Goto
authors.forename: Hiroo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Yukihiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Oishi
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D020682:Cefixime / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006602:Hexosyltransferases / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009030:Mosaicism / Q000235:genetics; D009097:Multienzyme Complexes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D002267:Muramoylpentapeptide Carboxypeptidase; D009344:Neisseria gonorrhoeae / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D046915:Penicillin-Binding Proteins; D010458:Peptidyl Transferases / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D009097:Multienzyme Complexes; D046915:Penicillin-Binding Proteins; D020682:Cefixime; D010458:Peptidyl Transferases; D006602:Hexosyltransferases; D002267:Muramoylpentapeptide Carboxypeptidase