Use of a Fractionated, Coupled Transcription-Translation System in the Study of Ribosomal Resistance Mechanisms in Antibiotic-producing Streptomyces

• Published in: Journal of general microbiology Vol. 135; no. 5; pp. 1071 - 1081
• Main Authors: Calcutt, Michael J, Cundliffe, Eric
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Soc General Microbiol 01-05-1989
• Subjects: Anti-Bacterial Agents - biosynthesis; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; Cell-Free System; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; Pactamycin - biosynthesis; Pactamycin - pharmacology; Protein Synthesis Inhibitors - pharmacology; Ribosomes - drug effects; Ribosomes - physiology; Species Specificity; Streptococcus - drug effects; Streptococcus - genetics; Streptococcus - physiology
• ISSN: 0022-1287; 1350-0872; 1465-2080
• DOI: 10.1099/00221287-135-5-1071

Department of Biochemistry and Leicester Biocentre, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK
ABSTRACT
The coupled transcription-translation system, formerly involving extracts of Streptomyces lividans , has been developed such that it functions with ribosomes (or their subunits) from at least 20 different Streptomyces species. This fractionated system has been used to investigate the antibiotic responses of ribosomes from various Streptomyces which synthesize inhibitors of protein synthesis. Of the 11 organisms included in this study, two strains possessed ribosomes that were specifically resistant to the autogenous antibiotic. These were Streptomyces pactum and Streptomyces karnatakensis , both of which produce pactamycin. Ribosomal subunit exchange analysis further demonstrated that resistance to pactamycin in those strains is due to some property of the 30S ribosomal subunits.
Present address: Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri - Columbia, Columbia, Missouri 65212, USA.