Document Type
Article
Publication Date
6-1-2013
Publication Title
Journal of Molecular Evolution
Abstract
The rise of antibiotic-resistant pathogens focuses our attention on the source of antibiotic resistance genes, on the existence of these genes in environments exposed to little or no antibiotics, and on the relationship between resistance genes found in the clinic and those encountered in non-clinical settings. Here, we address the evolutionary history of a class of resistance genes, the SHV β-lactamases. We focus on bla SHV genes isolated both from clinical and non-clinical sources and show that clinically important resistance determinants arise repeatedly from within a diverse pool of bla SHV genes present in the environment. While our results argue against the notion of a single common origin for all clinically derived bla SHV genes, we detect a characteristic selective signature shaping this protein in clinical environments. This clinical signature reveals the joint action of purifying and positive selection on specific residues, including those known to confer extended-spectrum activity. Surprisingly, antibiotic resistance genes isolated from non-clinical - and presumably antibiotic-free - settings also experience the joint action of purifying and positive selection. The picture that emerges undercuts the notion of a separate reservoir of antibiotic resistance genes confined only to clinical settings. Instead, we argue for the presence of a single extensive and variable pool of antibiotic resistance genes present in the environment.
Keywords
β-Lactamase, Antibiotic resistance evolution, SHV
Volume
76
Issue
6
First Page
388
Last Page
393
DOI
10.1007/s00239-013-9574-z
ISSN
00222844
Recommended Citation
Dorit, Robert L.; Roy, Christopher M.; Robinson, Sandra M.; and Riley, Margaret A., "The Evolutionary Histories of Clinical and Environmental SHV β-lactamases are Intertwined" (2013). Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications, Smith College, Northampton, MA.
https://scholarworks.smith.edu/bio_facpubs/226
Comments
Peer reviewed accepted manuscript.