YjgM is a crotonyltransferase critical for polymyxin resistance of Escherichia coli.

ABSTRACT

Lysine crotonylation has attracted widespread attention in recent years. However, little is known about bacterial crotonylation, particularly crotonyltransferase and decrotonylase, and its effects on antibiotic resistance. Our study demonstrates the ubiquitous presence of crotonylation in E. coli, which promotes bacterial resistance to polymyxin. We identify the crotonyltransferase YjgM and its regulatory pathways in E. coli with a focus on crotonylation. Further studies show that YjgM upregulates the crotonylation of the substrate protein PmrA, thereby boosting PmrA's affinity for binding to the promoter of eptA, which, in turn, promotes EptA expression and confers polymyxin resistance in E. coli. Additionally, we discover that PmrA's crucial crotonylation site and functional site is Lys 164. These significant discoveries highlight the role of crotonylation in bacterial drug resistance and offer a fresh perspective on creating antibacterial compounds.