Antibacterial drug resistance articles within Nature

Featured

  • Letter |

    The structure of a bacterial ribosome–RelA complex reveals that RelA, a protein recruited to the ribosome in the case of scarce amino acids, binds in a different location to translation factors, and that this binding event suppresses auto-inhibition to activate synthesis of the (p)ppGpp secondary messenger, thus initiating stringent control.

    • Alan Brown
    • , Israel S. Fernández
    •  & V. Ramakrishnan

  • Comment |

    Bacterial evolution is overwhelming our antibiotic defences, says Kim Lewis. Using modern technology to replicate past success might tip the balance in our favour.

    • Kim Lewis

  • News |

    A continual discharge of antibiotic-contaminated water has created a hotspot of bacterial antibiotic resistance in an Indian river.

    • Naomi Lubick

  • Letter |

    Bacteria regularly evolve antibiotic resistance, but little is known about this process at the population level. Here, a continuous culture of Escherichia coli facing increasing antibiotic levels is followed. Most isolates taken from this population are less antibiotic resistant than the population as a whole. A few highly resistant mutants provide protection to the less resistant constituents, in part by producing the signalling molecule indole, which serves to turn on drug efflux pumps and oxidative-stress protective mechanisms.

    • Henry H. Lee
    • , Michael N. Molla
    •  & James J. Collins

  • News & Views |

    A charitable deed by a few cells in a bacterial culture can help the rest of that population survive in the presence of antibiotics. This finding can aid further research into a major problem in public health.

    • Hyun Youk
    •  & Alexander van Oudenaarden

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