A significant breakthrough in understanding how bacteria resist common antibiotics could pave the way for more effective treatments against harmful infections, a new study suggests.
Researchers believe that by targeting a specific bacterial defence mechanism, efforts to combat the urgent global health challenge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) could be significantly bolstered.
Scientists at the University of Edinburgh investigated a repair system known as Rtc, which certain bacteria possess to counteract the effects of some antibiotics.
This system works by repairing damaged RNA – the crucial molecule responsible for translating genetic information into functional proteins within cells. By maintaining protein production and growth, Rtc allows bacteria to survive even when exposed to antibiotics.
A key revelation from the study was the unpredictable nature of bacterial responses to antibiotics, attributed to the varying expression of the Rtc repair system from one cell to another.
This finding suggests that tailoring treatments to specifically target components of the Rtc system could enhance the efficacy of existing antibiotics, making them more capable of eradicating infections.
The discovery was made through a combination of computer modelling and laboratory experiments involving E. coli, a bacterium known for developing antibiotic resistance.
Dr Andrea Weisse, from the University of Edinburgh’s Schools of Biological Sciences and Informatics, who led the research, highlighted the urgency of the situation.
"Bacteria are clever little things. They have been learning how to dodge our antibiotics, and they are getting better at it all the time," she said.
"If we don’t find new drugs – or new tricks to outsmart them – we are in trouble. What we are trying to do here is really understand how their defence systems work. Once we see the mechanism clearly, we can figure out smarter ways to beat them and treat infections more effectively."
Beyond illuminating the complex survival strategies of bacteria, the research also opens new avenues for developing more potent therapies to tackle AMR.
The findings have been published in the journal Nature Communications, with contributions from scientists at Queen Mary University of London and Imperial College London, and support from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, Leverhulme Trust, and Wellcome.
