Structural signature of Ser83Leu and Asp87Asn mutations in DNA gyrase from enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli and impact on quinolone resistance

• Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is the leading cause of traveler's diarrhea (TD).
• Mutation in gyrA is the underlying mechanism of resistance to quinolones.
• Structural studies establish possible associations between mutations and diseases.
• Guide necessary modifications in the existing drugs to counteract drug resistance.

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is among the most frequent microorganisms causing traveler's diarrhea (TD). Quinolones are potent antimicrobial agents used for the treatment of TD. Resistance to quinolones is typically caused by substitutions in QRDR region of gyrA subunit of DNA gyrase. The aim of this study was to seek insights into the effect of these substitutions at structural level and their association with observed quinolone resistance.Majority of the ETEC strains have gyrA mutations at amino acid position 83 and 87. To understand the quinolone resistance mechanism at molecular level, we have studied the interaction of wild type and mutant forms of ETEC gyrA with nalidixic acid and ciprofloxacin by molecular modeling using Discovery Studio and LeadIt.All the mutants had reduced affinity towards both ciprofloxacin and nalidixic acid relative to the wild type due to the mutations introduced in gyrA. Besides Ser83 and Asp87, for nalidixic acid binding Arg91 and His45 residues were observed to be critical while in ciprofloxacin binding Lys42 and Arg91 residues played a significant role.Amino acid substitutions contribute to the emergence of drug resistance in sensitive strains by causing structural alterations leading to reduced affinity of the drug towards receptor. Analysis of the effect of amino acid substitutions at structural level is of utmost importance to establish possible associations between mutations and the diseases. These studies accelerate the identification of pharmaceutical targets for relevant treatments and could also be helpful in guiding the design of further experimental research.