title: Hypoionic shock treatment enables aminoglycosides antibiotics to eradicate bacterial persisters.
abstract: Bacterial persisters, usually being considered as dormant cells that are tolerant to antibiotics, are an important source for recurrent infection and emergence of antibiotic resistant pathogens. Clinical eradication of pathogenic persisters is highly desired but greatly difficult mainly due to the substantial reduction in antibiotics uptake as well as the non-active state of the drug targets. Here we report that bacterial persisters (normal growing cells as well) can be effectively eradicated by aminoglycoside antibiotics upon hypoionic shock (e.g. pure water treatment) even for less than one minute. Such hypoionic shock potentiation effect on aminoglycosides is proton motive force-independent, and is apparently achieved by promoting the entrance of aminoglycosides, speculatively through the mechanosensitive ion channels. Our revelations may provide a simple and powerful strategy to eradicate pathogen persisters.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
authors.forename: Liu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jiafeng
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.|Center for Protein Science, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
authors.forename: Xinmiao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.|Center for Protein Science, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
authors.forename: Zengyi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chang
mesh_terms: D000617:Aminoglycosides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D009997:Osmotic Pressure; D018892:Proton-Motive Force; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000617:Aminoglycosides; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents