Hormonal steroids induce multidrug resistance and stress response genes in Neisseria gonorrhoeae by binding to MtrR.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 38326294.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-024-45195-1 and PMC identifier 10850145.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Transcriptional regulator MtrR inhibits the expression of the multidrug efflux pump operon mtrCDE in the pathogenic bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Here, we show that MtrR binds the hormonal steroids progesterone, β-estradiol, and testosterone, which are present at urogenital infection sites, as well as ethinyl estrogen, a component of some hormonal contraceptives. Steroid binding leads to the decreased affinity of MtrR for cognate DNA, increased mtrCDE expression, and enhanced antimicrobial resistance. Furthermore, we solve crystal structures of MtrR bound to each steroid, thus revealing their binding mechanisms and the conformational changes that induce MtrR.
Medical subject headings
- Neisseria gonorrhoeae
- Repressor Proteins