Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33608713›Full record

ArticleThe Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy2021

Expression of the qepA1 gene is induced under antibiotic exposure.

Gerrit Brandis, Jonas Gockel, Linnéa Garoff, Lionel Guy, Diarmaid Hughes

Open access · bronzeAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
0.7field-weighted citation impact, top 38% 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

5 citing papers in PubMed, 13 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Fluoroquinolone-resistantMicrobiology spectrum · 2026
    Article
  2. Detection of a hydrogen sulfide-negativeFrontiers in veterinary science · 2025
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Review
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

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Gerrit BrandisDepartment of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Biomedical Center, Uppsala University, Box 582, Uppsala, Sweden.ORCID 0000-0001-8457-7699
Jonas GockelDepartment of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Biomedical Center, Uppsala University, Box 582, Uppsala, Sweden.
Linnéa GaroffDepartment of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Biomedical Center, Uppsala University, Box 582, Uppsala, Sweden.
Lionel GuyDepartment of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Biomedical Center, Uppsala University, Box 582, Uppsala, Sweden.
Diarmaid HughesDepartment of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Biomedical Center, Uppsala University, Box 582, Uppsala, Sweden.ORCID 0000-0002-7456-9182
Uppsala University · SE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe qepA1 gene encodes an efflux pump that reduces susceptibility to ciprofloxacin. Little is known about the regulation of qepA1 expression.

objectivesTo assess the potential role of ciprofloxacin and other antibiotics in the regulation of qepA1 gene expression. To identify the promoter that drives qepA1 expression and other factors involved in expression regulation. To assess whether the identified features are universal among qepA alleles.

methodsA translational qepA1-yfp fusion under the control of the qepA1 upstream region was cloned into the Escherichia coli chromosome. Expression of the fusion protein was measured in the presence of various antibiotics. Deletions within the upstream region were introduced to identify regions involved in gene expression and regulation. The qepA1 coding sequence and upstream region were compared with all available qepA sequences.

resultsCellular stress caused by the presence of various antibiotics can induce qepA1 expression. The qepA1 gene is fused to a class I integron and gene expression is driven by the Pc promoter within the integrase gene. A segment within the integron belonging to a truncated dfrB4 gene is essential for the regulation of qepA1 expression. This genetic context is universal among all sequenced qepA alleles.

conclusionsThe fusion of the qepA1 gene to a class I integron has created a novel regulatory unit that enables qepA1 expression to be under the control of antibiotic exposure. This setup mitigates potential negative effects of QepA1 production on bacterial fitness by restricting high-level expression to environmental conditions in which QepA1 is beneficial.

Indexed as

Anti-Bacterial AgentsEscherichia coliEscherichia coli ProteinsGene Expression Regulation, BacterialIntegronsAnti-Bacterial AgentsEscherichia coli Proteins

Identifiers

PMID33608713
PMCPMC8120332
OpenAlexW3129480683

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

None linked

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.