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Altered ribosomal RNA genes in mitochondria from mammalian cells with chloramphenicol resistance

S E Kearsey, I W Craig

    Nature
    |April 16, 1981
    PubMed

    Insights

    Chloramphenicol resistance in mammalian cells is linked to mitochondrial DNA mutations. Similar changes in yeast

    Area of Science:

    • Molecular Biology
    • Genetics
    • Cell Biology

    Background:

    • Chloramphenicol resistance in mammalian cells is maternally inherited via the cytoplasm.
    • In yeast, chloramphenicol resistance is linked to mutations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA).

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate the genetic basis of chloramphenicol resistance in mammalian cells.
    • To compare the genetic alterations in resistant mammalian cells with those found in yeast mutants.

    Main Methods:

    • Sequencing of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from chloramphenicol-resistant mammalian cell lines.
    • Comparison of the sequenced mammalian mtDNA with wild-type sequences.
    • Alignment of mammalian mtDNA sequences with known yeast mutant sequences.

    Main Results:

    • Nucleotide substitutions were identified in the mammalian mtDNA of resistant cell lines.
    • These alterations occurred in a highly conserved region of the large (16S) rRNA gene.
    • The identified differences in mammalian mtDNA correspond to positions altered in yeast mutants.

    Conclusions:

    • Mammalian chloramphenicol resistance may involve specific mutations in the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene.
    • These findings suggest a conserved mechanism of antibiotic resistance across different species.
    • Further research is needed to fully elucidate the role of these mtDNA alterations.

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