The ERM protein family consists of three closely related proteins, ezrin, radixin and moesin (Bretscher, 1983; Pakkanen et al., 1987; Tsukita et al., 1989; Lankes and Furthmayr, 1991; Sato et al., 1992). They are thought to function as general cross-linkers between plasma membranes and actin filaments (Arpin et al., 1994; Tsukita et al., 1997a,b; Bretscher et al., 1997). In cultured epithelial ...

The epidemiologic relatedness of 29 erythromycin-resistant Gemella sp. strains from normal flora, characterized previously, were evaluated by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Three isolates carried the tet(O) gene and the tet(M) gene. The msr(A) gene was found in two Gemella morbillorum strains in combination with the erm(B) or mef(E) gene. The sequences of the mef(A/E), erm(B), and msr...

To determine the major molecular mechanisms of macrolide resistance among Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates in Turkey, we examined a total of 151 isolates collected from different regions of Turkey. Overall, 40 (26.4%) isolates were resistant to erythromycin. The most common mechanism (38/40) was target site modification due to erm (B) genes. Only two isolates harbored the mef (A)/(E) efflux ge...

The prevalence and mechanisms of macrolide resistance among 1,007 clinical pneumococcal isolates collected in Finland were investigated. Of these, 217 (21.5%) were resistant to erythromycin and 11% to clindamycin. Among the erythromycin-resistant isolates, mef(E) was present in 95 isolates (44%), mef(A) was present in 12 isolates (6%), and erm(B) was present in 90 isolates (41%). A double mecha...

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to characterize the mechanism of resistance to macrolides and streptogramins of a Streptococcus pneumoniae strain isolated from blood cultures in an 80-year-old patient suffering from severe pneumonia unsuccessfully treated with pristinamycin. METHODS Resistance genes erm(B) and mef(A) were searched for by PCR. Portions of genes for domains V and II of the...

The aim of this study was to analyze the diversity of the macrolide resistance gene, erm(C) in relation to structural alterations affecting the gene expression. In addition, the association of erm(C) to mobile genetic elements (MGEs) in staphylococci mainly from Danish pigs was investigated. In total, 78 erythromycin-resistant isolates were screened for erm(C) by PCR. The erm(C) genes incl. the...

PURPOSE Epiretinal membrane (ERM) is a frequent macular complication in patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP). The etiology of ERM formation in RP is largely unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between aqueous flare, a surrogate index of intraocular inflammation, and ERM secondary to RP. METHODS We retrospectively studied a total of 206 eyes of 117 patients...

Ezrin-radixin-moesin (ERM) proteins regulate the organization and function of specific cortical structures in polarized epithelial cells by connecting filamentous (F)-actin to plasma membrane proteins. The contribution of ERM proteins to these structures depends on a conformational change to an active state in which the C-terminal region interacts with F-actin and the N-terminal domain interact...

The macrolide resistance determinants and genetic elements carrying the mef(A) and mef(E) subclasses of the mef gene were studied with Streptococcus agalactiae isolated in 2003 and 2004 from 7,084 vaginorectal cultures performed to detect carrier pregnant women. The prevalence of carriage was 18% (1,276 isolates), and that of erythromycin resistance 11.0% (129 of the 1,171 isolates studied). er...