Noncovalent Binding of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons with Genetic Bases Reducing the in Vitro Lateral Transfer of Antibiotic Resistant Genes.
In current studies of noncovalent interactions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with genetic units, the impact of such interactions on gene transfer has not been explored. In this study, we examined the association of some widely occurring PAHs (phenanthrene, pyrene, benzo[g,h,i]perylene, and other congeners) with antibiotic resistant plasmids (pUC19). Small molecular PAHs (e.g., phenanthrene) bind effectively with plasmids to form a loosely clew-like plasmid-PAH complex (16.5-49.5 nm), resulting in reduced transformation of ampicillin resistance gene (Ampr). The in vitro transcription analysis demonstrated that reduced transformation of Ampr in plasmids results from the PAH-inhibited Ampr transcription to RNA. Fluorescence microtitration coupled with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and theoretical interaction models showed that adenine in plasmid has a stronger capacity to sequester small Phen and Pyre molecules via a π-π attraction. Changes in Gibbs free energy (ΔG) suggest that the CT-PAH model reliably depicts the plasmid-PAH interaction through a noncovalently physical sorption mechanism. Considering the wide occurrence of PAHs and antibiotic resistant genes (ARGs) in the environment, our findings suggest that small-sized PAHs can well affect the behavior of ARGs via above-described noncovalent interactions.
Institute of Organic Contaminant Control and Soil Remediation, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University , Nanjing, Jiangsu 210095, China.
Fuxing
F
Kang
Institute of Organic Contaminant Control and Soil Remediation, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University , Nanjing, Jiangsu 210095, China.
Xiaojie
X
Hu
Institute of Organic Contaminant Control and Soil Remediation, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University , Nanjing, Jiangsu 210095, China.
Juan
J
Liu
Institute of Organic Contaminant Control and Soil Remediation, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University , Nanjing, Jiangsu 210095, China.
Yanzheng
Y
Gao
D000668:Ampicillin Resistance / Q000235:genetics*; D020029:Base Pairing; D001665:Binding Sites; D005453:Fluorescence; D022761:Gene Transfer, Horizontal; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000378:metabolism*; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D013816:Thermodynamics
D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons