Rise of Antibiotic Resistance: Gonorrhea
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: : This case focuses on antibiotic use leading to strains of resistant bacteria that can no longer be treated with the same medications. It uses the example of bacterial resistance to antibiotics to show how small changes in protein structures can lead to differences in protein function, specifically through changes in interaction with small molecule drugs. The case begins with examining the CDC page on drug-resistant gonorrhea and the prevalence of strains resistant to at least one antibiotic. It uses pre-readings on mechanisms of antibiotic function and mechanisms of resistance to frame the molecular explorations, which examine cephalosporin-susceptible and cephalosporin-resistant penicillin binding proteins. This case relates visualization of protein structure to the fundamental concept of structure-function relationships, then ties this back to natural selection of heritable traits and microevolution in bacteria. Molecules explored: The primary molecule studied is penicillin-binding protein (PBP2) from Neisseria gonorrhoeae alone or with cephalosporin ligands bound.
Source: QUBES
DOI: 10.25334/hqf5-v395
Author: Sankaran, Saumya
Institution: University of Washington Tacoma
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Medicine
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7082263804
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