Envelope destabilization by AcrAB2NodT overexpression links antibiotic resistance to metal sensitivity in Caulobacter vibrioides

Antibiotic (AB) resistance often arises through mutations that alter AB targets, reduce membrane permeability, or increase efflux activity, yet its physiological costs remain poorly understood. In Caulobacter vibrioides, a ΔtipR mutant that constitutively upregulates the RND efflux pump AcrAB2NodT exhibits heightened sensitivity to copper (Cu), revealing a trade-off linked to excessive pump expression. Deleting acrAB2nodT or impairing its transport activity restored cell envelope integrity and, ultimately, Cu resistance, uncoupling the effects of pump abundance from active efflux. The ΔtipR mutant also showed increased sensitivity to other metals, including zinc, nickel, and cadmium, indicating a broader vulnerability to metal stress. Mechanistically, pump overexpression depleted the proton motive force and lowered ATP levels, key processes for metal resistance. These findings uncover the physiological cost of efflux upregulation and suggest a potential therapeutic vulnerability: targeting the metabolic burden of resistance mechanisms could improve antibiotic efficacy by exploiting fitness trade-offs. This research demonstrates that overexpression of the AcrAB2NodT pump in Caulobacter vibrioides compromises cell physiology linking resistance to environmental stress sensitivity and highlighting potential targets to enhance antimicrobial strategies.