Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33109090›Full record

ArticleBMC molecular and cell biology2020

MazEF-rifampicin interaction suggests a mechanism for rifampicin induced inhibition of persisters.

Cyrus Alexander, Ankeeta Guru, Pinkilata Pradhan, Sunanda Mallick, Nimai Charan Mahanandia, Bharat Bhusan Subudhi, Tushar Kant Beuria

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC molecular and cell biology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
1.3field-weighted citation impact, top 18% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 19 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
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  4. Heterogeneous subpopulations inFrontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2025
    Article
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  7. Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.

Cyrus AlexanderInfectious Disease Biology, Institute of Life Sciences, Nalco Square, Bhubaneswar, India.
Ankeeta GuruInfectious Disease Biology, Institute of Life Sciences, Nalco Square, Bhubaneswar, India.
Pinkilata PradhanInfectious Disease Biology, Institute of Life Sciences, Nalco Square, Bhubaneswar, India.
Sunanda MallickInfectious Disease Biology, Institute of Life Sciences, Nalco Square, Bhubaneswar, India.
Nimai Charan MahanandiaAnimal Biotechnology Centre, National Dairy Research Institute, Harya, Karnal, - 132001, India.
Bharat Bhusan SubudhiDrug Development and Analysis, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Siksha 'O' Anusandhan Deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar, India.
Tushar Kant BeuriaInfectious Disease Biology, Institute of Life Sciences, Nalco Square, Bhubaneswar, India. tkbeuria@ils.res.in.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3352-4508
Manipal Academy of Higher Education · INRegional Centre for Biotechnology · INInstitute of Life Sciences · INNational Dairy Research Institute · INSiksha O Anusandhan University · IN

Funding

Science and Engineering Research Board EMR/2016/006831
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPersistence is a natural phenomenon whereby a subset of a population of isogenic bacteria either grow slow or become dormant conferring them with the ability to withstand various stresses including antibiotics. In a clinical setting bacterial persistence often leads to the recalcitrance of various infections increasing the treatment time and cost. Additionally, some studies also indicate that persistence can also pave way for the emergence of resistant strains. In a laboratory setting this persistent phenotype is enriched in nutritionally deprived environments. Consequently, in a batch culture the late stationary phase is enriched with persistent bacteria. The mechanism of persister cell formation and its regulation is not well understood. Toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems have been implicated to be responsible for bacterial persistence and rifampicin is used to treat highly persistent bacterial strains. The current study tries to explore a possible interaction between rifampicin and the MazEF TA system that furthers the former's success rate in treating persistent bacteria.

resultsIn the current study we found that the population of bacteria in the death phase of a batch culture consists of metabolically inactive live cells resembling persisters, which showed higher membrane depolarization as compared to the log phase bacteria. We also observed an increase in the expression of the MazEF TA modules in this phase. Since rifampicin is used to kill the persisters, we assessed the interaction of rifampicin with MazEF complex. We showed that rifampicin moderately interacts with MazEF complex with 1:1 stoichiometry.

conclusionOur study suggests that the interaction of rifampicin with MazEF complex might play an important role in inhibition of persisters.

Indexed as

Anti-Bacterial AgentsBacteriaRifampinToxin-Antitoxin SystemsAnti-Bacterial AgentsRifampinBacterial persistenceMazEFRifampicinTA system

Identifiers

PMID33109090
PMCPMC7590665
OpenAlexW3096180043

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.