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Consequences of Inhibition of Escherichia coli by Tetracycline Antibiotics

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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.

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HOLMES, I., WILD, D. Consequences of Inhibition of Escherichia coli by Tetracycline Antibiotics. Nature 210, 1047–1048 (1966). https://doi.org/10.1038/2101047a0

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