Widely spread antibiotic resistances in bacteria are slowly but surely undermining the efficacy of antibiotic drugs. To investigate antibiotic resistances in bacteria, Shingo Suzuki, Takaaki Horinouchi, and Chikara Furusawa, RIKEN Quantitative Biology Center (QBiC), Osaka, Japan, established 44 strains of Escherichia coli resistant to 11 antibiotics. Upon treatment with 25 antibiotics these bacteria had not yet been exposed to, they were found to be cross-resistant to some of the new antibiotics. Some strains displayed cross-susceptibility, that is, they were resistant to one antibiotic while being more sensitive to another.

Analysis of the gene expression profiles of some of the resistant E. coli strains revealed a small set of genes responsible for the antibiotic resistances. Using these genes, the scientists successfully predicted the responses of the remaining strains to antibiotics.
This study may lead to new therapeutical approaches by anticipating bacterial resistances, and could help to develop strategies to prevent bacteria from acquiring antibiotic resistances.

• Prediction of antibiotic resistance by gene expression profiles,
  Shingo Suzuki, Takaaki Horinouchi, Chikara Furusawa,
  Nat. Commun. 2014, 5, 5792.
  DOI: 10.1038/ncomms6792