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Aminoglycoside-induced mistranslation in thermophilic archaebacteria
P Londei1, S Altamura, J L Sanz
1Dipartimento di Biopatologia Umana, Università di Roma, Policlinico Umberto I, Italy.
Abstract:
The effect of selected aminoglycoside antibiotics on the translational accuracy of poly(U) programmed ribosomes derived from the thermophilic archaebacteria Thermoplasma acidophilum, Sulfolobus solfataricus, Thermococcus celer and Desulfurococcus mobilis has been determined. Under optimum temperature and ionic conditions for polyphenylalanine synthesis, the four species investigated are found to be markedly diverse in their response to the miscoding-inducing action of aminoglycoside antibiotics. T. acidophilum is sensitive to all of the compounds tested except streptomycin; S. solfataricus responds to paromomycin and to hygromycin B; T. celer is only affected by neomycin, and D. mobilis is refractory to all drugs. The only feature shared by the four species under study, and by all archaebacteria so far investigated, is their complete insensitivity to streptomycin. The structural and phylogenetic implications of the remarkable diversity encountered among archaebacterial ribosomes in their susceptibility to aminoglycosides are discussed.
Insights
Aminoglycoside antibiotics affect archaeal ribosome accuracy differently across species. While most archaea are insensitive to streptomycin, other antibiotics show varied effects, highlighting ribosomal diversity.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Molecular Biology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Aminoglycoside antibiotics are crucial for treating bacterial infections by inhibiting protein synthesis.
- Ribosomes are responsible for translation, the process of synthesizing proteins from messenger RNA.
- Archaea, a domain of single-celled organisms, possess unique ribosomal structures and functions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of selected aminoglycoside antibiotics on the translational accuracy of ribosomes from four thermophilic archaeal species.
- To determine the diversity in aminoglycoside susceptibility among these archaeal ribosomes.
Main Methods:
- Utilized poly(U)-programmed ribosomes from Thermoplasma acidophilum, Sulfolobus solfataricus, Thermococcus celer, and Desulfurococcus mobilis.
- Assessed the miscoding-inducing effects of various aminoglycoside antibiotics under optimal polyphenylalanine synthesis conditions.
Main Results:
- Significant diversity was observed in the response of archaeal ribosomes to aminoglycosides.
- Thermoplasma acidophilum was sensitive to most tested antibiotics except streptomycin.
- Sulfolobus solfataricus responded to paromomycin and hygromycin B; Thermococcus celer to neomycin; Desulfurococcus mobilis was resistant to all tested drugs.
- All investigated archaeal species, and previously studied archaea, were completely insensitive to streptomycin.
Conclusions:
- Archaebacterial ribosomes exhibit remarkable diversity in their susceptibility to aminoglycoside antibiotics.
- This diversity suggests distinct structural or functional adaptations in archaeal ribosomes.
- The complete insensitivity to streptomycin across archaea warrants further investigation into its structural basis and phylogenetic implications.