Objective Antibiotic resistance is a major threat to public health. Bacteria can become resistant by acquiring genes that counteract the action of antibiotics or by mutation of their targets. These targets are usually involved in essential processes and typically resistance mutations can impair bacterial growth in absence of antibiotics. However, combination of certain mutated alleles can result in an alleviation of this cost, thus favouring the acquisition of multiple resistances. This project aims to understand the mechanisms underlying the epistasis between resistance mutations. Decreased biosynthesis has been considered the main cause of the fitness cost associated to antibiotic resistance mutations. However, our preliminary results suggest the existence of additional causes, such as genomic instability or proteostasis imbalance. The study of these phenotypes in single and double resistant mutants of Escherichia coli will allow us to determine the nature of these epistatic interactions, as well as further understanding essential biological processes, and will provide information for the development of new treatments against multi-resistant infections. Fields of science medical and health scienceshealth sciencespublic healthnatural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologybacteriologynatural sciencesbiological sciencesgeneticsmutationmedical and health sciencesbasic medicinepharmacology and pharmacydrug resistanceantibiotic resistance Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Main Programme H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility Topic(s) MSCA-IF-2016 - Individual Fellowships Call for proposal H2020-MSCA-IF-2016 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme MSCA-IF-EF-RI - RI – Reintegration panel Coordinator FUNDACAO CALOUSTE GULBENKIAN Net EU contribution € 148 635,60 Address Avenida berna 45a 1067-001 Lisboa Portugal See on map Region Continente Área Metropolitana de Lisboa Área Metropolitana de Lisboa Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00