Gene and Protein Network Analysis of AmpC β Lactamase.

Abstract

AmpC β-lactamase is a cephalosporinase, which exhibits resistance against all existing β-lactam antibiotics except carbapenems. Their occurrence in many bacterial pathogens poses a threat to public health and is a growing concern in the medical world. The ampC gene is highly inducible in the presence of β-lactam antibiotics and can be expressed in high levels due to mutation. This inducible expression is regulated by several functional genes. Several studies on functional relationship of these genes and its resistance mechanisms are carried out but it still lacks comprehensible evidences. Thus, in our current study, we used computational gene networks to analyze ampC gene. Based on its interaction type, co-expression, Gene Ontology, and text mining, a functional interaction network is constructed. Around 247 functional genes in 15 different bacterial genus have a functional association with ampC gene. It is predicted that 19.8% ampD, 13.3% frdD, 8.5% gcvA, 2.4% ampR, and 55.7% of other functional partners are associated with ampC gene. Our present study provides a glimpse about the functional gene network of ampC gene and also provides the integrated evidence for ampC gene in regulating the β-lactamase production and its role in antibiotic resistance.