NusG-Dependent RNA Polymerase Pausing and Tylosin-Dependent Ribosome Stalling Are Required for Tylosin Resistance by Inducing 23S rRNA Methylation in Bacillus subtilis

Abstract

Antibiotic resistance is a growing health concern. Resistance mechanisms have evolved that provide bacteria with a growth advantage in their natural habitat such as the soil. We determined that B. subtilis , a Gram-positive soil organism, has a mechanism of resistance to tylosin, a macrolide antibiotic commonly used in the meat industry. Tylosin induces expression of yxjB , which encodes an enzyme that methylates 23S rRNA. YxjB-dependent methylation of 23S rRNA confers tylosin resistance. NusG-dependent RNA polymerase pausing and tylosin-dependent ribosome stalling induce yxjB expression, and hence tylosin resistance, by preventing transcription termination upstream of the yxjB coding sequence and by preventing repression of yxjB translation.