Transcriptomics reveals how minocycline-colistin synergy overcomes antibiotic resistance in multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae

ABSTRACT Multidrug resistant gram-negative bacteria are a rapidly growing public health threat, and the development of novel antimicrobials has failed to keep pace with their emergence. Synergistic combinations of individually ineffective drugs present a potential solution, yet little is understood about the mechanisms of most such combinations. Here, we show that the combination of colistin (polymyxin E) and minocycline has a high rate of synergy against colistin-resistant and minocycline-intermediate or -resistant strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae . Furthermore, using RNA-Seq, we characterized the transcriptional profiles of these strains when treated with the drugs individually and in combination. We found a striking similarity between the transcriptional profiles of bacteria treated with the combination of colistin and minocycline at individually subinhibitory concentrations and those of the same isolates treated with minocycline alone. We observed a similar pattern with the combination of polymyxin B nonapeptide (a polymyxin B analogue that lacks intrinsic antimicrobial activity) and minocycline. We also found that genes involved in polymyxin resistance and peptidoglycan biosynthesis showed significant differential gene expression in the different treatment conditions, suggesting possible mechanisms for the antibacterial activity observed in the combination. These findings suggest that the synergistic activity of this combination against bacteria resistant to each drug alone involves sublethal outer membrane disruption by colistin, which permits increased intracellular accumulation of minocycline. IMPORTANCE Few treatment options exist for multidrug resistant gram-negative bacteria. Synergistic antimicrobial combinations (in which two individually inactive drugs regain activity when used in combination) can overcome resistance. In susceptible bacteria, minocycline acts inside the cell by preventing protein synthesis, while colistin disrupts the outer membrane. Even in bacteria resistant to both drugs, the combination of the two is active. To understand this activity, we studied Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates resistant to both drugs. We extracted messenger RNA during treatment with each drug alone and with the combination, then performed RNA sequencing to analyze gene expression levels. Bacteria treated with the combination had an expression profile similar to bacteria treated with minocycline alone. Our findings suggest that synergy results from low-level, subinhibitory membrane disruption by colistin, which permits sufficient accumulation of minocycline in the cell to overcome resistance. Understanding this pathway will facilitate further development of synergistic antimicrobial combination regimens.