Study of Mutations in the DNA gyrase gyrA Gene of Escherichia coli

Quinolones are a large and widely consumed class of synthetic drugs. Expanded-spectrum quinolones, like ciprofloxacin are highly effective against Gram-negative bacteria, especially Escherichia coli. In E. coli the major target for quinolones is DNA gyrase. This enzyme is composed of two subunits, GyrA and GyrB encoding by gyrA and gyrB, respectively. Mutations in either of these genes cause quinolone resistance. Mutations in QRDR section of gyrA are more common in quinolone resistant clinical isolates. However, a mutation outside of this region was also reported. Thus, this study was aimed to provide more information on mutations sites in gyrA. For this purpose, spontaneous ciprofloxacin resistant mutants arisen in cultures of E. coli ATCC 25922 and MG1655 were isolated on LB agar containing ciprofloxacin. Next, the MICs of these clones were measured and the presence of mutation in gyrA was investigated. Results showed that the frequency of ciprofloxacin resistant mutants in cultures of E. coli strains was low. However, these mutants had different MICs, depending on the day of isolation. Most of ciprofloxacin-resistant mutants possess mutations in QRDR region and precisely at Ser-83. However, mutations outside of this region were also found at Tyr-50 and Ala-119. In conclusion, the presence of mutations at amino acids 50 and 119 suggests that in addition to QRDR section and Tyr-122, these sites are also essential for DNA gyrase activity.