Growth‐mediated negative feedback shapes quantitative antibiotic response

Abstract Dose–response relationships are a general concept for quantitatively describing biological systems across multiple scales, from the molecular to the whole‐cell level. A clinically relevant example is the bacterial growth response to antibiotics, which is routinely characterized by dose–resp...

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Main Authors: S Andreas Angermayr, Tin Yau Pang, Guillaume Chevereau, Karin Mitosch, Martin J Lercher, Tobias Bollenbach
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Springer Nature 2022-09-01
Series:Molecular Systems Biology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.15252/msb.202110490
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author S Andreas Angermayr
Tin Yau Pang
Guillaume Chevereau
Karin Mitosch
Martin J Lercher
Tobias Bollenbach
author_facet S Andreas Angermayr
Tin Yau Pang
Guillaume Chevereau
Karin Mitosch
Martin J Lercher
Tobias Bollenbach
author_sort S Andreas Angermayr
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Dose–response relationships are a general concept for quantitatively describing biological systems across multiple scales, from the molecular to the whole‐cell level. A clinically relevant example is the bacterial growth response to antibiotics, which is routinely characterized by dose–response curves. The shape of the dose–response curve varies drastically between antibiotics and plays a key role in treatment, drug interactions, and resistance evolution. However, the mechanisms shaping the dose–response curve remain largely unclear. Here, we show in Escherichia coli that the distinctively shallow dose–response curve of the antibiotic trimethoprim is caused by a negative growth‐mediated feedback loop: Trimethoprim slows growth, which in turn weakens the effect of this antibiotic. At the molecular level, this feedback is caused by the upregulation of the drug target dihydrofolate reductase (FolA/DHFR). We show that this upregulation is not a specific response to trimethoprim but follows a universal trend line that depends primarily on the growth rate, irrespective of its cause. Rewiring the feedback loop alters the dose–response curve in a predictable manner, which we corroborate using a mathematical model of cellular resource allocation and growth. Our results indicate that growth‐mediated feedback loops may shape drug responses more generally and could be exploited to design evolutionary traps that enable selection against drug resistance.
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issn 1744-4292
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publisher Springer Nature
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spelling doaj-art-38e5047417c44c76b6e1a35a6ea93e6e2025-08-20T04:02:49ZengSpringer NatureMolecular Systems Biology1744-42922022-09-0118911910.15252/msb.202110490Growth‐mediated negative feedback shapes quantitative antibiotic responseS Andreas Angermayr0Tin Yau Pang1Guillaume Chevereau2Karin Mitosch3Martin J Lercher4Tobias Bollenbach5Institute for Biological Physics, University of CologneInstitute for Computer Science, Heinrich Heine University DüsseldorfINSA de StrasbourgInstitute of Science and Technology AustriaInstitute for Computer Science, Heinrich Heine University DüsseldorfInstitute for Biological Physics, University of CologneAbstract Dose–response relationships are a general concept for quantitatively describing biological systems across multiple scales, from the molecular to the whole‐cell level. A clinically relevant example is the bacterial growth response to antibiotics, which is routinely characterized by dose–response curves. The shape of the dose–response curve varies drastically between antibiotics and plays a key role in treatment, drug interactions, and resistance evolution. However, the mechanisms shaping the dose–response curve remain largely unclear. Here, we show in Escherichia coli that the distinctively shallow dose–response curve of the antibiotic trimethoprim is caused by a negative growth‐mediated feedback loop: Trimethoprim slows growth, which in turn weakens the effect of this antibiotic. At the molecular level, this feedback is caused by the upregulation of the drug target dihydrofolate reductase (FolA/DHFR). We show that this upregulation is not a specific response to trimethoprim but follows a universal trend line that depends primarily on the growth rate, irrespective of its cause. Rewiring the feedback loop alters the dose–response curve in a predictable manner, which we corroborate using a mathematical model of cellular resource allocation and growth. Our results indicate that growth‐mediated feedback loops may shape drug responses more generally and could be exploited to design evolutionary traps that enable selection against drug resistance.https://doi.org/10.15252/msb.202110490antibioticsdihydrofolate reductase (DHFR)dose–response curvefeedback loopsresource allocation model
spellingShingle S Andreas Angermayr
Tin Yau Pang
Guillaume Chevereau
Karin Mitosch
Martin J Lercher
Tobias Bollenbach
Growth‐mediated negative feedback shapes quantitative antibiotic response
Molecular Systems Biology
antibiotics
dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR)
dose–response curve
feedback loops
resource allocation model
title Growth‐mediated negative feedback shapes quantitative antibiotic response
title_full Growth‐mediated negative feedback shapes quantitative antibiotic response
title_fullStr Growth‐mediated negative feedback shapes quantitative antibiotic response
title_full_unstemmed Growth‐mediated negative feedback shapes quantitative antibiotic response
title_short Growth‐mediated negative feedback shapes quantitative antibiotic response
title_sort growth mediated negative feedback shapes quantitative antibiotic response
topic antibiotics
dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR)
dose–response curve
feedback loops
resource allocation model
url https://doi.org/10.15252/msb.202110490
work_keys_str_mv AT sandreasangermayr growthmediatednegativefeedbackshapesquantitativeantibioticresponse
AT tinyaupang growthmediatednegativefeedbackshapesquantitativeantibioticresponse
AT guillaumechevereau growthmediatednegativefeedbackshapesquantitativeantibioticresponse
AT karinmitosch growthmediatednegativefeedbackshapesquantitativeantibioticresponse
AT martinjlercher growthmediatednegativefeedbackshapesquantitativeantibioticresponse
AT tobiasbollenbach growthmediatednegativefeedbackshapesquantitativeantibioticresponse