Inhibition of respiratory enzyme synthesis in yeast by chloramphenicol: relationship between chloramphenicol tolerance and resistance to other antibacterial antibiotics

Individual yeast strains show characteristic differences in the amount of chloramphenicol required to inhibit the synthesis of the respiratory system. This varies from 0·05 mg./ml. to 4 mg./ml. A correlation between chloramphenicol and tetracycline resistance appears likely but no correlation between chloramphenicol and erythromycin resistance was observed. These relationships were emphasized by cross-checking spontaneous resistant mutants for each antibiotic. Nearly all mutants showing spontaneous resistance to chloramphenicol had a simultaneous increase in tetracycline resistance but no increase in erythromycin resistance. Spontaneous resistance to erythromycin on the other hand, had no striking effect on tolerance levels to chloramphenicol and tetracycline. Increases in erythromycin resistance were commonly accompanied by an increase in resistance to other macrolide antibiotics. There are similarities between these effects and those described for certain bacterial systems.

Inhibition of alcohol dehydrogenase from yeast by pyridine

1. Inhibition by pyridine of reduction of NAD by ethanol in the presence of yeast alcohol dehydrogenase was studied at 25 degrees in 60mm-glycine buffer (K(+), pH9.3). 2. The apparent Michaelis constant for ethanol increases linearly and that for NAD increases non-linearly with pyridine concentration. 3. Rates, v, observed in the presence of pyridine are lower than the values calculated from the effect of pyridine on the two apparent Michaelis constants and are described by the expression V/v={1+5.8[pyridine]}x{1+0.016(1+124 [pyridine)]/[EtOH]}x{1+0.00019(1+3.3[pyridine]+110 [pyridine](2))/[NAD]}. 4. Mixed inhibitor studies with pyridine and N(1)-methylnicotinamide chloride in 40mm-pyrophosphate buffer (Na(+), pH8.2) indicated little interaction of pyridine with the ;pyridinium site' of the dehydrogenase (interaction constant, alpha, 2.1). 5. The possible competition of ethanol and pyridine for a zinc atom in the active centre of yeast alcohol dehydrogenase is discussed.

The specificities and configurations of ternary complexes of yeast and liver alcohol dehydrogenases

1. Some aspects of the substrate specificities of liver and yeast alcohol dehydrogenases have been investigated with pentan-3-ol, heptan-4-ol, (+)-butan-2-ol, (+/-)-butan-2-ol, (+/-)-hexan-3-ol and (+/-)-octan-2-ol as potential substrates. The liver enzyme is active with all substrates tested, including both isomers of each optically active alcohol. In contrast, the yeast enzyme is completely inactive towards those secondary alcohols where both alkyl groups are larger than methyl and active with only the (+)-isomers of butan-2-ol and octan-2-ol. 2. The absence of stereospecificity of liver alcohol dehydrogenase towards optically active secondary alcohols and its broad specificity towards secondary alcohols in general are explained in terms of an alkyl-binding site that will react with a variety of alkyl groups and the ability of the enzyme to accommodate a fairly large unbound alkyl group in an active enzyme-NAD(+)-secondary alcohol ternary complex. The absolute optical specificity of the yeast enzyme towards n-alkylmethyl carbinols and its unreactivity towards pentan-3-ol, hexan-3-ol and heptan-4-ol are explained by its inability to accept alkyl groups larger than methyl in the unbound position in a viable ternary complex. 3. Comparison of the known configurations of the n-alkylmethyl carbinols and [1-(2)H]ethanol and [1-(3)H]geraniol, which have been used in stereospecificity studies with these enzymes by other workers, provides strong evidence for which alkyl group of the substrate is bound to the enzyme in the oxidation of n-alkylmethyl carbinols. The conclusions reached are, for butan-2-ol oxidation with the liver enzyme, confirmed by deductions from kinetic data obtained with (+)-butan-2-ol and a sample of butan-2-ol containing 66% of (-)-butan-2-ol. 4. Initial-rate parameters for the oxidations of (+)-butan-2-ol, 66% (-)-butan-2-ol and pentan-3-ol by NAD with liver alcohol dehydrogenase are presented. The data are completely consistent with a general mechanism of catalysis previously proposed for this enzyme.

Artifact produced in disc electrophoresis by ammonium persulfate

Ammonium persulfate, a common polymerizing agent for acrylamide gels, can inactivate yeast enolase and produce increased electrophoretic heterogeneity during disc electrophoresis in gels containing 8M urea. The use of riboflavin and light for polymerization or thioglycolate for removal of the persulfate are feasible alternatives.