Resistance mechanisms examples

Alloys are solid metallic mixtures designed to meet specific needs (see Section 5.15). For example, the frames of racing bicycles can be made of a steel that contains manganese, molybdenum, and carbon to give them the stiffness needed to resist mechanical shock. Titanium frames are used, but not the pure metal. Titanium metal stretches easily, so much so that it becomes deformed under stress. However, when alloyed with metals such as tin and aluminum, titanium maintains its flexibility but keeps its shape. 

Selective toxicity is also important in relation to the development of resistance or tolerance to pollutants from two distinct points of view. On the one hand, there is interest among scientists concerned with crop protection and disease control in mechanisms by which crop pests, vectors of disease, plant pathogens, and weeds develop resistance to pesticides. Understanding the mechanism should point to ways of overcoming resistance, for example, other compounds not affected by resistance mechanisms or synergists to inhibit enzymes that provide a resistance mechanism. On the other hand, the development of resistance can be a useful indication of the environmental impact of pollutants. 

As explained in Chapter 1, the toxicity of natural xenobiotics has exerted a selection pressure upon living organisms since very early in evolutionary history. There is abundant evidence of compounds produced by plants and animals that are toxic to species other than their own and which are nsed as chemical warfare agents (Chapter 1). Also, as we have seen, wild animals can develop resistance mechanisms to the toxic componnds prodnced by plants. In Anstralia, for example, some marsupials have developed resistance to natnrally occnrring toxins produced by the plants upon which they feed (see Chapter 1, Section 1.2.2). 

Table 13.4 Examples of intrinsic resistance mechanisms to biocides in bacteria...

Some metals can be converted to a less toxic form through enzyme detoxification. The most well-described example of this mechanism is the mercury resistance system, which occurs in S. aureus,43 Bacillus sp.,44 E. coli,45 Streptomyces lividans,46 and Thiobacillus ferrooxidans 47 The mer operon in these bacteria includes two different metal resistance mechanisms.48 MerA employs an enzyme detoxification approach as it encodes a mercury reductase, which converts the divalent mercury cation into elemental mercury 49 Elemental mercury is more stable and less toxic than the divalent cation. Other genes in the operon encode membrane proteins that are involved in the active transport of elemental mercury out of the cell.50 52... 

Table 1 Examples of action and resistance mechanisms found in bacteria for different classes of antibacterial agents ...

Finally, some gram-negative organisms demonstrate a fourth mechanism of resistance. For example, strains of P. aeruginosa produce xenobiotic efflux pumps to eject antibiotics. Drug efflux mechanisms are associated with multiple drug resistance, including resistance to (3-lactam antibiotics. 

In the study of resistance mechanisms, it is recognized that the location of a particular toxic chemical may be as Important as the presence or absence of that chemical. For example, a high concentration of a toxic chemical in a plant part that the Insect does not eat or eats only in the later stages of larval growth, will probably have minimal affect on the resistance of that plant to its host. Conversely, a low concentration of a toxic chemical in a specific site at which the insect feeds in an early larval stage may significantly affect the plant s resistance. 

Physiologically, in both normal and hypertensive individuals, blood pressure is maintained by moment-to-moment regulation of cardiac output and peripheral vascular resistance, exerted at three anatomic sites (Figure 11-1) arterioles, postcapillary venules (capacitance vessels), and heart. A fourth anatomic control site, the kidney, contributes to maintenance of blood pressure by regulating the volume of intravascular fluid. Baroreflexes, mediated by autonomic nerves, act in combination with humoral mechanisms, including the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, to coordinate function at these four control sites and to maintain normal blood pressure. Finally, local release of vasoactive substances from vascular endothelium may also be involved in the regulation of vascular resistance. For example, endothelin-1 (see Chapter 17) constricts and nitric oxide (see Chapter 19) dilates blood vessels. 

R-plasmid-mediated resistance is almost invariably associated with crossresistance to a number of related and unrelated antibiotics. The reasons for the association lie in the resistance mechanism to related compounds that have been coded, the usual presence of more than one R determinant in the same plasmid, and the frequent coexistence of several different plasmids in the same bacterial cell. As a result, use of any antibiotic can lead to development of resistance to itself and to other related and unrelated antibiotics. If, for example, a plasmid is encoded for resistance to ampicillin, tetracycline, sulfonamide, and streptomycin, exposure to any of these antibiotics results in resistance to all the others, whereas the use of a -lactamase-containing strain results in resistance to other members of this group. 

ETFE can be extruded continuously into tubing, piping, and rod stock. An example of application of extruded tubing is automotive tubing, which takes advantage of its chemical resistance, mechanical strength, and resistance to permeation... 

Bacteria can obtain the various types of resistance mechanisms described previously by undergoing modifications in their genetic constitution. Many bacteria simply inherit their resistance genes from their forerunners. In addition, genetic mutations can occur that can confer a new trait. For example, it has been estimated that bacteria undergo spontaneous mutation at a frequency of approximately 1 in 10 cells. These mutations can confer resistant traits to the subsequent progeny. Mutations are believed... 

The 10 amino acids essential in the human diet (Arg, His, He, Leu, Lys, Met, Phe, Thr, Trp, Val) are synthesized by non-human organisms by multistep pathways starting from simple metabolic precursors. Amino acid biosynthesis is controlled by feedback inhibition and suppression of synthesis of biosynthetic enzymes. The ability of an amino acid analogue to block biosynthesis of the parent amino acid often contributes to the toxicity of the analogue. Mutants resistant to the toxic effects of the analogue can be valuable tools for studying various aspects of cellular mechanism (examples to be given below). 

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