Evolved extracellular polymeric substances act as a frontline shield against antibiotic tolerance and resistance in Escherichia coli

The evolution of antibiotic resistance is a severe global threat. Investigating this issue, instead of merely confining our research to bacterial resistance based on membrane-associated and intracellular mechanisms (for example, reduced permeability and antibiotic efflux), we have shed light on the role of novel extracellular mechanisms, namely, the extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) shield. We used experimental evolution to identify significant modifications in EPS compositions and properties of Escherichia coli, even under low-level antibiotic exposure. Heterogeneous EPS–antibiotic interactions universally increased the minimum inhibitory concentration by 1.4- to 1.7-fold and tolerance capabilities by…

• NN
  National Natural Science Foundation of China

  Awards: 22193061, 22222607, 22176171, 22193061