Nucleotide sequences of small-subunit rRNA (16S rRNA) are most commonly used for the identification and characterization of bacteria and their complex communities. However, 16S rRNA evolves slowly and is often not very convenient to resolve bacterial strains at the species level. We have therefore attempted to develop a rapid and more convenient system for bacterial identification using the gyr...

Among fluoroquinolone-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (FQr-MTB) isolates, mutation at positions 90, 91, and 94 in gyrA gene and at positions 495, 516, and 533 in gyrB gene have been frequently reported. In this study, 35 isolates of FQr-MTB were collected from Siriraj Hospital and Chest Disease Institute. The quinolone-resistance-determining regions (QRDR) of gyrA and gyrB genes in all 35 ...

Degenerate PCR primers, UP-1 and UP-2r, for the amplification of DNA gyrase subunit B genes (gyrB) were designed by using consensus amino acid sequences of gyrases from Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas putida, and Bacillus subtilis. In addition to the degenerate sequences, these primers have sequences at the 5' end which allow direct sequencing of amplified PCR products. With these primers, DNA se...

gyrB is used to improve the identification of the Nocardia species N. brasiliensis, N. higoensis, N. ignorata, N. otitidiscaviarum, N. paucivorans, N. pneumoniae, N. puris, N. takedensis, N. veterana, and N. vinacea, but it does not improve the identification of another 12 Nocardia studied species. gyrB provides typing and phylogenetic markers for N. carnea, N. transvalensis, N. brasiliensis, a...

Intrinsic novobiocin resistance in Staphylococcus saprophyticus was associated with expression of a novobiocin-resistant form of the drug target protein (GyrB). Site-directed mutagenesis established that resistance depends upon the presence of two specific amino acid residues in GyrB: a glycine at position 85 and a lysine at position 140.

DNA gyrase subunit B C-terminal domain (GyrB-CTD) is a functional module of DNA gyrase which participates in forming the core of DNA gyrase and plays critical roles in G-segment binding and T-segment loading and passage. Here, the purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray crystallographic studies of GyrB-CTD from Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv are reported. Diffraction data were col...

Fluoroquinolone resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis can be conferred by mutations in gyrA or gyrB. The prevalence of resistance mutations outside the quinolone resistance-determining region (QRDR) of gyrA or gyrB is unclear, since such regions are rarely sequenced. M. tuberculosis isolates from 1,111 patients with newly diagnosed culture-confirmed tuberculosis diagnosed in Tennessee from 2...

As a consequence of the use of fluoroquinolones (FQ), resistance to FQ has emerged, leading to cases of nearly untreatable and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis. Mutations in DNA gyrase represent the main mechanism of FQ resistance. A full understanding of the pattern of mutations found in FQ-resistant (FQ(r)) clinical isolates, and of their proportions, is crucial for improving molecular...

A structure-guided drug design approach was used to optimize a novel series of aminobenzimidazoles that inhibit the essential ATPase activities of bacterial DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV and that show potent activities against a variety of bacterial pathogens. Two such compounds, VRT-125853 and VRT-752586, were characterized for their target specificities and preferences in bacteria. In metab...

Mutations associated with fluoroquinolone resistance in clinical isolates of Proteus mirabilis were determined by genetic analysis of the quinolone resistance-determining region (QRDR) of gyrA, gyrB, parC, and parE. This study included the P. mirabilis type strain ATCC 29906 and 29 clinical isolates with reduced susceptibility (MIC, 0.5 to 2 microg/ml) or resistance (MIC, > or =4 microg/ml) to ...