Nitrofurans, a group of synthetic antibiotics, with a new mode of action: discrimination of specific messenger RNA classes.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America ·Vol. 73 ·No. 10 ·1976-10-00 ·Pages 3386-90

Herrlich P, Schweiger M

Abstract

Nitrofurans, a class of antibacterial drugs in extensive use, interferes with gene expression in a highly specific manner. While in the low dose range (0.5-25 mug/ml), 5-nitro-2-furfurylidene-1-aminohydantoin has no effect on transcription, it inhibits specifically the expression of one class of genes in translation. The specific inhibition concerns the inducible genes. The inhibition of messenger RNA expression occurs at the initiation step. The action of nitrofurans, thus, indicates heterogeneity in the population of mRNA molecules and in the translational machinery and suggests the possibility of selective translational control.

MeSH Terms

Cyclic AMP/pharmacology Enzyme Induction/drug effects Escherichia coli/drug effects Galactosidases/biosynthesis Genes, Regulator/drug effects Nitrofurans/pharmacology Peptide Chain Initiation, Translational/drug effects Phosphotransferases/biosynthesis RNA, Bacterial/metabolism RNA, Messenger/metabolism Transcription, Genetic/drug effects Tryptophanase/biosynthesis

Chemicals

Nitrofurans RNA, Bacterial RNA, Messenger Cyclic AMP Phosphotransferases Galactosidases Tryptophanase

Authors & Affiliations

2 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID

Herrlich P

Schweiger M

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30 references, click to expand

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Article Info

Journal

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

Abbr.

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A

ISSN

0027-8424

DOI

10.1073/pnas.73.10.3386

Published

1976-10-00

Pages

3386-90

Language

English

Region

United States

NLM ID

7505876

PMCID

PMC431119

Subset

External Links

PubMed source DOI: 10.1073/pnas.73.10.3386 PMC Full Text View journal details

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Nitrofurans, a group of synthetic antibiotics, with a new mode of action: discrimination of specific messenger RNA classes.

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