Spectinomycin interacts specifically with the residues G1064 and C1192 in 16S rRNA, thereby potentially freezing this molecule into an inactive conformation

Specialized ribosomes: highly specific translation in vivo of a single targetted mRNA species

In previous studies [Hui and de Boer, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 84 (1987) (1987) 4762-4766; Hui et al., Methods Enzymol. 153 (1987) 432-452], it was shown that efficient translation of the human growth hormone mRNA (hGH) species having an altered Shine-Dalgarno (SD) sequence, 5'-GUGUG-3', depends on the presence of specialized (spc) ribosomes containing the modified anti-SD (ASD) sequence, 5'-CACAC-3', near the 3' end of their 16S rRNA. In spite of the altered ASD sequence, spc ribosomes were not found to be committed exclusively to the translation of the hGH mRNA; no more than 30% of the total amount of protein synthesized by such ribosomes was hGH. Once we replace the coding sequence of the hGH mRNA with that of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT), the specificity of spc ribosomes for translation of a single targetted mRNA, relative to the endogenous mRNAs, is greatly enhanced; an estimated 80% of the total amount of protein synthesized by spc ribosomes is CAT. Using the inducible spc ribosome system containing the cat gene, we show that, upon induction, spc ribosomes accumulate in large excess over the number needed for optimal translation of the targetted cat mRNA. Despite the excess, only few spc ribosomes initiate translation on a limited number of endogenous mRNAs. The excessive accumulation of spc ribosomes, which are predominantly present as free 30S subunits, is neither deleterious to the cells, nor does it lead to a feedback inhibition of the synthesis of wild-type ribosomes.

A new mutation in 16S rRNA of Escherichia coli conferring spectinomycin resistance

We report a novel mutation, C1066U in 16S rRNA which was selected for resistance to spectinomycin, an antibiotic which inhibits ribosomal translocation. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of spectinomycin determined for this mutant (15 micrograms/ml) is greater than with the wild-type plasmid (5 micrograms/ml) but lower than with the well known C1192U mutation (> 80 micrograms/ml). The C1066U mutation also increases the cells sensitivity to fusidic acid, another antibiotic which inhibits translation at the translocation stage, whereas C1192U is unchanged relative to the wild type. We discuss why the acquisition of resistance to one of these drugs is often associated with hypersensitivity to the other.

Enzymatic synthesis of aminocyclitol moieties of aminoglycoside antibiotics from inositol by Streptomyces spp.: detection of glutamine-aminocyclitol aminotransferase and diaminocyclitol aminotransferase activities in a spectinomycin producer

Extracts of stationary-phase mycelia of the spectinomycin producer Streptomyces flavopersicus ATCC 19756 catalyzed inositol dehydrogenase, L-glutamine:inosose aminotransferase, 2-epi-streptamine:inosose aminotransferase, streptamine:inosose aminotransferase, N3-methyl-2-deoxystreptamine:inosose aminotransferase, and aminodeoxy-scyllo-inositol:inosose aminotransferase reactions, as detected with a new rapid assay procedure. These results suggest that one or both amino groups of the N1,N3-dimethyl-2-epi-streptamine moiety of spectinomycin are derived by transamination from the alpha-amino group of L-glutamine. An enzymatic procedure for distinguishing among N1- and N3-monomethyl diaminocyclitol derivatives and their diaminocyclitol biosynthetic precursors is described. A scheme showing key roles of glutamine-aminocyclitol aminotransferases in biosynthesis of major aminoglycoside antibiotics is presented.