poxtA amplification and mutations in 23S rRNA confer enhanced linezolid resistance in Enterococcus faecalis

Abstract Objectives This study aimed to explore the evolutionary patterns and resistance mechanisms of an Enterococcus faecalis strain harbouring poxtA under linezolid exposure. Methods A poxtA-carrying E. faecalis electrotransformant DJH702 with a linezolid minimum inhibitory concentration of 4 mg/L was exposed to increasing concentrations of linezolid (8–64 mg/L). The derived strains growing at 8, 16, 32 and 64 mg/L, designed DJH702₈, DJH702₁6, DJH702₃2 and DJH702₆4, were obtained. The amplification and overexpression of poxtA were measured using sequencing and RT–PCR, the fitness cost by competition assays and the stability of the repeat units by serial passage. Results In all derived strains, high-level linezolid resistance develops through poxtA amplification. The relative copy numbers and transcription levels of poxtA were significantly increased. However, in the presence of higher linezolid concentrations, DJH702₃2 and DJH702₆4 showed reduced poxtA copy numbers and transcription levels compared with DJH702₈ and DJH702₁6, but additional mutations in the 23S rRNA (G2505A). IS1216E-mediated formation of translocatable units with subsequent tandem amplification of these translocatable units supported the gain of poxtA segments. However, these amplicons were not stable and were lost frequently in the absence of a linezolid selection pressure. The amplification of the poxtA region did not result in a fitness cost, but mutations in 23S rRNA did. Conclusions poxtA-carrying E. faecalis electrotransformants used two distinct mechanisms to resist linezolid selection pressure: at lower concentrations, strains prioritized increasing poxtA expression levels, while at higher concentrations, a combination of increased poxtA expression and mutations in 23S rRNA was observed.