Exploring molecular mechanisms of drug resistance in bacteria and progressions in CRISPR/Cas9-based genome expurgation solutions

Abstract

Antibiotic resistance in bacteria is a critical global health challenge, driven by molecular mechanisms such as genetic mutations, efflux pumps, enzymatic degradation of antibiotics, target site modifications, and biofilm formation. Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) further accelerates the spread of resistance genes across bacterial populations. These mechanisms contribute to the emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains, rendering conventional antibiotics ineffective. Recent advancements in CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing offer innovative solutions to combat drug resistance. CRISPR/Cas9 enables precise targeting of resistance genes, facilitating their deletion or inactivation, and provides a potential method to eliminate resistance-carrying plasmids. Furthermore, phage-delivered CRISPR systems show promise in selectively killing resistant bacteria while leaving susceptible strains unaffected. Despite challenges such as efficient delivery, off-target effects, and potential bacterial resistance to CRISPR itself, ongoing research and technological innovations hold promise for using CRISPR-based antimicrobials to reverse bacterial drug resistance and develop more effective therapies. These abstract highlights the molecular mechanisms underlying bacterial drug resistance and explores how CRISPR/Cas9 technology could revolutionize treatment strategies against resistant pathogens.

Keywords

Molecular mechanisms / Drug resistance / Bacteria / CRISPR/Cas9 / Genome editing / Advancements

Ethics statement

Not applicable.

Funding

The corresponding author thank the PSG Management for providing infrastructure and covering the expenses for the other consumables.

CRediT authorship contribution statement

KEV- Writing Original draft preparation, conceptualization, Investigation, Data analysis, PVK- Data conceptualization, Supervision, Resources. JC-, Writing and Data conceptualization. RJ- Data conceptualization, editing.

Data availability

All datasets generated or analysed during this study are included in the manuscript.

Declaration of Competing Interest

The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: K.E.Vivekanandan reports financial support was provided by PSG College of Arts and Science. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Acknowledgement

KEV is highly thankful to the PSG College of Arts and Science, Coimbatore Management for providing the necessary facilities to carry out the work.

Consent for publication

The contributing authors declare no consent towards the publication of the manuscript.

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