Abstract
DURING incubation of Staphylococcus aureus with tetracycline, chlortetracycline or oxytetracycline, protein synthesis is inhibited to a much greater extent than the synthesis of ribonucleic acid (RNA)1. We have found these observations to apply also to inhibition of Escherichia coli and have extended them to include two other antibiotics of the tetracycline group. Table 1 shows that during incubation for 2 h with each of five tetracyclines, protein synthesis was almost completely inhibited, whereas increases in cellular RNA of from 56 per cent to 76 per cent were observed.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Gale, E. F., and Folkes, J. P., Biochem. J., 53, 493 (1953). Hash, J. H., Wishnick, M., and Miller, P. A., J. Biol. Chem., 239, 2070 (1964).
Holmes, I. A., and Wild, D. G., Biochem. J., 97, 277 (1965).
Fraenkel, D. G., and Neidhardt, F. C., Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 53, 96 (1961).
Dagley, S., White, A. E., Wild, D. G., and Sykes, J., Nature, 194, 25 (1962).
Kurland, C. G., Nomura, M., and Watson, J. D., J. Mol. Biol., 4, 388 (1962).
Franklin, T. J., Biochem. J., 87, 449 (1963).
Lacks, S., and Gros, F. J., Mol. Biol., 1, 301 (1959).
Yarmolinsky, M. D., and de la Haba, G. L., Proc. U.S. Nat. Acad. Sci., 45, 1721 (1959).
Kurland, C. G., and Maaløe, O., J. Mol. Biol., 4, 193 (1962).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
HOLMES, I., WILD, D. Consequences of Inhibition of Escherichia coli by Tetracycline Antibiotics. Nature 210, 1047–1048 (1966). https://doi.org/10.1038/2101047a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/2101047a0
- Springer Nature Limited
We’re sorry, something doesn't seem to be working properly.
Please try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, please contact support so we can address the problem.