Analysis of drug resistance in the archaebacterium Methanococcus voltae with respect to potential use in genetic engineering

Journal Article · Tue Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1988 · Appl. Environ. Microbiol.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6959965

Possot, O; Gernhardt, P; Klein, A; Sibold, L

The sensitivity of the methanogenic archaebacterium Methanococcus voltae to 12 inhibitors was tested in liquid medium. Four compounds appeared to be inhibitors of growth. Their MICs were as follows: pseudomonic acid, 0.1 ..mu..g/ml (0.19 ..mu..M); puromycin, 2 ..mu..g/ml (3.6 ..mu..M); methionine sulfoximine, 30 ..mu..g/ml (170 ..mu..M); and fusidic acid, 100 ..mu..g/ml (170 ..mu..M). On solid medium, the MICs were similar and the frequency of spontaneous resistance was found to be 5 x 10/sup -5/ (methionine sulfoximine), 10/sup -7/ (pseudomonic acid), and <10/sup -7/ (puromycin and fusidic acid). Pseudomonic acid was found to inhibit isoleucyl-tRNA synthetase activity as measured by the in vitro aminoacylation of M. voltae tRAN with L-(U-/sup 14/C) isoleucine. Fusidic acid and puromycin were shown to inhibit poly(U)-dependent polyphenylalanine synthesis in S30 extracts. Acetylpuromycin was inhibitory at much higher concentrations both in vivo and in vitro for M. voltae. Thus, the pac gene of Streptomyces alboniger, which is responsible for acetylation of puromycin and which conferred resistance to puromycin when introduced in eubacterian and eucaryotes, is a potential selective marker in gene transfer experiments with M. voltae. The latter was recently shown to be transformable. The same would be true for the cat gene of Tn9, which enodes resistance to fusidic acid in eubacteria in addition to resistance to chloramphenicol.

• Research Organization: Institut Pasteur, Paris (France)
• OSTI ID: 6959965
• Journal Information: Appl. Environ. Microbiol.; (United States), Vol. 54:3
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

09 BIOMASS FUELS
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
ANTIBIOTICS
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
METHANOGENIC BACTERIA
GENETIC ENGINEERING
BIOLOGICAL MARKERS
CARBON 14 COMPOUNDS
GENES
GROWTH
INHIBITION
SENSITIVITY
TRACER TECHNIQUES
ANTI-INFECTIVE AGENTS
BACTERIA
DRUGS
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
LABELLED COMPOUNDS
MICROORGANISMS
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