Antibiotic resistance gene (ARG)

Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are specific genetic sequences within bacteria that encode mechanisms to survive exposure to antimicrobial agents (NIH, 2023). These genes function by producing proteins that enzymatically degrade antibiotics (such as beta-lactamases), actively pump drugs out of the cell via efflux systems, or alter the antibiotic's cellular target to prevent binding (Nature Reviews Microbiology, 2021). ARGs are frequently located on mobile genetic elements like plasmids and transposons, facilitating their rapid dissemination across different bacterial species through horizontal gene transfer (Wikipedia, 2024). This genetic mobility is a primary driver of the global antimicrobial resistance crisis, rendering standard-of-care treatments ineffective for common infections (WHO, 2023). While traditional drugs target the protein products of these genes, emerging biotech strategies utilize CRISPR-Cas9, antisense oligonucleotides, and peptide nucleic acids to target the ARGs themselves. By silencing or deleting these sequences, these therapies aim to restore the efficacy of existing antibiotics or selectively eliminate multi-drug resistant pathogens from a population (Science Translational Medicine, 2017).

Other names

Antimicrobial resistance geneDrug resistance geneResistome (collective)R-plasmid genes

Gene silencing or site-specific genomic cleavage to eliminate the genetic determinants of resistance, thereby restoring antibiotic susceptibility or selectively killing resistant bacteria (Nature Biotechnology, 2014; Cell, 2020).