Effect of Chemotherapeutic Agents on Natural Transformation Frequency in Acinetobacter baylyi

2024 · doi:10.1099/acmi.0.000733.v3
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This study investigated six chemotherapeutic agents' effects on *Acinetobacter baylyi* natural transformation, finding docetaxel and daunorubicin significantly decreased transformation frequency, with daunorubicin also reducing growth rate.

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⚙ AI-generated deep summary by claude@2026-07, 2026-07-17 · read from full text ⓘ

This study investigated how six cancer chemotherapeutic compounds affect natural transformation frequency in the bacterial model species Acinetobacter baylyi, a process that enables uptake of extracellular DNA and recombination. Using experiments measuring transformation frequency (and in one case growth rate), the authors found that docetaxel and daunorubicin significantly decreased transformation frequency, while daunorubicin also significantly reduced growth rate. The paper’s limitation is that it focuses on A. baylyi under controlled experimental conditions rather than directly assessing transformation dynamics in human tissues or complex microbiomes. This paper does not explicitly discuss endometriosis or adenomyosis; it was included in the corpus via a keyword match in the upstream search index.

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Abstract

Natural transformation is the ability of a bacterial cell to take up extracellular DNA which is subsequently available for recombination into the chromosome (or maintenance as an extrachromosomal element). Like other mechanisms of horizontal gene transfer, natural transformation is a significant driver for the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance. Recent studies have shown that many pharmaceutical compounds such as antidepressants and anti-inflammatory drugs can upregulate transformation frequency in the model species Acinetobacter baylyi. Chemotherapeutic compounds have been shown to increase abundance of antimicrobial resistance genes and increase colonisation rates of potentially pathogenic bacteria in patient gastrointestinal tracts, indicating an increased risk of infection and providing a pool of pathogenicity or resistance genes for transformable commensal bacteria. We here test for the effect of six cancer chemotherapeutic compounds on A. baylyi natural transformation frequency, finding two compounds, docetaxel and daunorubicin, to significantly decrease transformation frequency, and daunorubicin to also decrease growth rate significantly. Enhancing our understanding of the effect of chemotherapeutic compounds on the frequency of natural transformation could aid in preventing the horizontal spread of antimicrobial resistance genes.
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Full text loading... Abstract Natural transformation is the ability of a bacterial cell to take up extracellular DNA which is subsequently available for recombination into the chromosome (or maintenance as an extrachromosomal element). Like other mechanisms of horizontal gene transfer, natural transformation is a significant driver for the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance. Recent studies have shown that many pharmaceutical compounds such as antidepressants and anti-inflammatory drugs can upregulate transformation frequency in the model species Acinetobacter baylyi. Chemotherapeutic compounds have been shown to increase abundance of antimicrobial resistance genes and increase colonisation rates of potentially pathogenic bacteria in patient gastrointestinal tracts, indicating an increased risk of infection and providing a pool of pathogenicity or resistance genes for transformable commensal bacteria. We here test for the effect of six cancer chemotherapeutic compounds on A. baylyi natural transformation frequency, finding two compounds, docetaxel and daunorubicin, to significantly decrease transformation frequency, and daunorubicin to also decrease growth rate significantly. Enhancing our understanding of the effect of chemotherapeutic compounds on the frequency of natural transformation could aid in preventing the horizontal spread of antimicrobial resistance genes. - Received: - Version Posted: Funding - Natural Environment Research Council (Award NE/S007504/1) - Principal Award Recipient: Macaulay Ralph Winter - Natural Environment Research Council (Award NE/T008083/1) - Principal Award Recipient: Michiel Vos - The Research Council of Norway (Award 275672) - Principal Award Recipient: Klaus Harms - The Research Council of Norway (Award 275672) - Principal Award Recipient: Pål Jarle Johnsen

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