Impairment of ribosomal subunit synthesis in aminoglycoside-treated ribonuclease mutants of Escherichia coli.

The bacterial ribosome is an important target for many antimicrobial agents. Aminoglycoside antibiotics bind to both 30S and 50S ribosomal subunits, inhibiting translation and subunit formation. During ribosomal subunit biogenesis, ribonucleases (RNases) play an important role in rRNA processing. E. coli cells deficient for specific processing RNases are predicted to have an increased sensitivity to neomycin and paromomycin. Four RNase mutant strains showed an increased growth sensitivity to both aminoglycoside antibiotics. E. coli strains deficient for the rRNA processing enzymes RNase III, RNase E, RNase G or RNase PH showed significantly reduced subunit amounts after antibiotic treatment. A substantial increase in a 16S RNA precursor molecule was observed as well. Ribosomal RNA turnover was stimulated, and an enhancement of 16S and 23S rRNA fragmentation was detected in E. coli cells deficient for these enzymes. This work indicates that bacterial RNases may be novel antimicrobial targets.

TAN-1057A: a translational inhibitor with a specific inhibitory effect on 50S ribosomal subunit formation.

The inhibitory activities of a novel antibiotic compound have been investigated. A synthetic version of the natural product TAN-1057A was examined for its effects on translation and ribosomal subunit formation. The antibiotic at 6 microg/ml reduced the growth rate of wild-type Staphylococcus aureus cells by 50%. The IC50 for inhibition of protein synthesis in these cells was 4.5 microg/ml. Pulse and chase labeling kinetics showed a strong inhibitory effect on 50S ribosomal subunit formation as well. The IC50 for this process was 9 microg/ml, indicating an equivalent inhibitory effect of the antibiotic on translation and 50S synthesis. The post-antibiotic effect of the drug was investigated. Protein synthesis resumed rapidly after removal of the drug from cells, but full recovery of the normal 50S subunit complement in treated cells required 1.5 h. The dual inhibitory effects of this compound are compared with other antimicrobial agents having similar effects on cell growth.

Structures of ketolides and macrolides determine their mode of interaction with the ribosomal target site.

Ketolides are the most recent generation of antimicrobials derived from the 14-membered ring macrolide, erythromycin A. The main structural feature that differentiates ketolides from erythromycin is the keto group, which replaces the L-cladinose moiety at position 3 of the macrolactone ring. The keto group bestows greater acid stability on the drugs, and enables them to bind to their ribosomal target without causing expression of MLS(B) resistance in inducible strains. Several ketolides are described here, including ABT 773 and telithromycin (HMR 3647), both of which possess a carbamate at C11/C12 of the macrolactone ring. In telithromycin, which is the first ketolide to be approved for clinical use, the carbamate is linked to an alkyl-aryl extension, which is responsible for the increased potency of this compound relative to macrolides. This review examines how the structural differences between macrolides and the new ketolides are related to their antimicrobial activities in inhibiting protein synthesis and blocking the assembly of new ribosomal subunits.

Erythromycin inhibition of 50S ribosomal subunit formation in Escherichia coli cells.

The effects of erythromycin on the formation of ribosomal subunits were examined in wild-type Escherichia coli cells and in an RNase E mutant strain. Pulse-chase labelling kinetics revealed a reduced rate of 50S subunit formation in both strains compared with 30S synthesis, which was unaffected by the antibiotic. Growth of cells in the presence of [14C]-erythromycin showed drug binding to 50S particles and to a 50S subunit precursor sedimenting at about 30S in sucrose gradients. Antibiotic binding to the precursor correlated with the decline in 50S formation in both strains. Erythromycin binding to the precursor showed the same 1:1 stoichiometry as binding to the 50S particle. Gel electrophoresis of rRNA from antibiotic-treated organisms revealed the presence of both 23S and 5S rRNAs in the 30S region of sucrose gradients. Hybridization with a 23S rRNA-specific probe confirmed the presence of this species of rRNA in the precursor. Eighteen 50S ribosomal proteins were associated with the precursor particle. A model is presented to account for erythromycin inhibition of 50S formation.

Structure-activity relationships for six ketolide antibiotics.

Six structurally related 3-keto-substituted macrolide antibiotics (ketolides) were compared for concentration-dependent inhibitory effects on growth rate, viable cell number, and protein synthesis rates in Staphylococcus aureus cells. Inhibitory effects on 50S ribosomal subunit formation were also examined, as this is a second target for these antibiotics. A concentration range of 0.01 to 0.1 microg/ml was tested. An IC50 for inhibition of translation and 50S synthesis was measured for each compound, to relate structural features to inhibitory activity. ABT-773 was the most effective of the six compounds tested with an IC50 = 0.035 microg/ml. HMR 3004 was almost as effective with an IC50 = 0.05 microg/ml. Two 2-fluoroketolides (HMR 3562 and HMR 3787) were equivalent in their inhibitory activity with an IC50 = 0.06 microg/ml. Telithromycin (HMR 3647) had an IC50 = 0.08 microg/ml, and HMR 3832 was least effective with an IC50 = 0.11 microg/ml. Each antibiotic had an equivalent inhibitory effect on translation and 50S subunit formation. These results indicate specific structural features of these antimicrobial agents, which contribute to defined inhibitory activities against susceptible organisms.

Bacterial ribosomal subunit synthesis: a novel antibiotic target.

The continuing increase in antibiotic-resistant pathogenic bacterial has stimulated research on the development of new antimicrobial agents and the identification of new cellular targets. One such target is the sequence of assembly steps required for the formation of bacterial ribosomal subunits. A large number of different protein synthesis inhibitors which affect large subunit function also prevent the 50S particle from being formed in growing cells. These compounds include the macrolide and ketolide antibiotics as well as certain lincosamides, B-type streptogramins and several other structurally unrelated translational inhibitors. This review describes the activities of these compounds as inhibitors of 50S subunit formation. For most of these drugs, their inhibitory effect on particle synthesis is equivalent to their effect on translation. This new target is thus of equal importance to translational inhibition as a mechanism of action of these compounds. Features of the 50S subunit precursor particle as a target for these drugs are described. Finally a model is presented which accounts for this activity and predicts certain features of the substrate for erythromycin methylase activity in inducible cells. Antibiotics which target subunit formation preferentially are predicted to be important bactericidal agents.

Specific inhibition of 50S ribosomal subunit formation in Staphylococcus aureus cells by 16-membered macrolide, lincosamide, and streptogramin B antibiotics.

The translational functions of the bacterial ribosome are the target for a large number of antimicrobial agents. The 14- and 16-membered macrolides, the lincosamides, and the streptogramin B type antibiotics are thought to share certain inhibitory properties, based on both biochemical and genetic studies. We have shown previously that the 14-membered macrolides, like erythromycin, have an equivalent inhibitory effect on translation and the formation of the 50S ribosomal subunit in growing bacterial cells. To extend this work, we have now tested the 16-membered macrolides spiramycin and tylosin, the lincosamides lincomycin and clindamycin, and 3 streptogramin B compounds pristinamycin I(A), virginiamycin S, and CP37277. Each of these was a specific inhibitor of 50S subunit formation, in addition to having an inhibitory effect on translation. By contrast, two streptogramin A compounds, virginiamycin M1 and CP36926, as well as chloramphenicol, were effective inhibitors of translation without showing a specific effect on the assembly of the large ribosomal subunit. A combination of an A and B type streptogramin (virginiamycin M1 and pristinamycin I(A)) demonstrated a synergistic inhibition of protein synthesis without exhibiting a specific inhibition of 50S subunit formation. These results extend our observations on 50S assembly inhibition to the entire class of MLS(B) antibiotics and reinforce other suggestions concerning their common ribosome-binding site and inhibitory functions.

Evernimicin (SCH27899) inhibits both translation and 50S ribosomal subunit formation in Staphylococcus aureus cells.

The effects of the everninomicin antibiotic evernimicin (SCH27899) on growing Staphylococcus aureus cells were investigated. Cellular growth rates and viable cell numbers decreased with increasing antibiotic concentrations. The rate of protein synthesis, measured as (35)S-amino acid incorporation, declined in parallel with the growth rate. Significantly, the formation of the 50S ribosomal subunit was inhibited in a dose-dependent fashion as well. 30S ribosomal subunit synthesis was not affected over the same concentration range. Evernimicin did not stimulate the breakdown of mature ribosomal subunits. Pulse-chase labeling experiments revealed a reduced rate of 50S subunit formation in drug-treated cells. Two erythromycin-resistant strains of S. aureus that carried the ermC gene were as sensitive as wild-type cells to antibiotic inhibition. In addition, two methicillin-resistant S. aureus organisms, one sensitive to erythromycin and one resistant to the macrolide, showed similar sensitivities to evernimicin. These results suggest a use for this novel antimicrobial agent against antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections.

Superiority of 11,12 carbonate macrolide antibiotics as inhibitors of translation and 50S ribosomal subunit formation in Staphylococcus aureus cells.

Three pairs of related macrolide antibiotics, differing at the 11,12 position of the macrolactone ring, were compared for effects on growth rate, cell viability, protein synthesis, and 50S ribosomal subunit formation in Staphylococcus aureus cells. For each parameter measured, the 11,12 carbonate-derivatized compound was more inhibitory compared with the corresponding 11,12-hydroxy antibiotic. Substitution at the 3-position of the ring was also important in the relative inhibition observed. The degree of inhibition found in two different growth media was proportional to the generation time of the cells. Inhibition of both protein synthesis and 50S subunit formation by each drug correlated well with the inhibition of cell viability. The results indicate that closure of the 11,12-hydroxyl groups in macrolide antibiotics with a carbonate substitution generates a more effective antimicrobial agent.

Molecular investigation of the postantibiotic effects of clarithromycin and erythromycin on Staphylococcus aureus cells.

The kinetics of recovery after inhibition of growth by erythromycin and clarithromycin were examined in Staphylococcus aureus cells. After inhibition for one mass doubling by 0.5 microg of the antibiotics/ml, a postantibiotic effect (PAE) of 3 and 4 h duration was observed for the two drugs before growth resumed. Cell viability was reduced by 25% with erythromycin and 45% with clarithromycin compared with control cells. Erythromycin and clarithromycin treatment reduced the number of 50S ribosomal subunits to 24 and 13% of the number found in untreated cells. 30S subunit formation was not affected. Ninety minutes was required for resynthesis to give the control level of 50S particles. Protein synthesis rates were diminished for up to 4 h after the removal of the macrolides. This continuing inhibition of translation was the result of prolonged binding of the antibiotics to the 50S subunit as measured by 14C-erythromycin binding to ribosomes in treated cells. The limiting factors in recovery from macrolide inhibition in these cells, reflected as a PAE, are the time required for the synthesis of new 50S subunits and the slow loss of the antibiotics from ribosomes in inhibited cells.

Macrolide and ketolide antibiotic separation by reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography.

Twenty different macrolide and ketolide antibiotics were analyzed by reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography on an ODS-2 cartridge column. Each of these compounds was uniquely separated and purified by varying the flow rate. Retention times of the individual drugs were proportional to the flow rate of the mobile phase. Recovery of antimicrobial activity for most of the drugs was greater than 90% based on a microbiological assay of material recovered from the column. Retention times were related to structural differences between these antimicrobial agents.

Macrolide antibiotic inhibition of translation and 50S ribosomal subunit assembly in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus cells.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus cells were treated with three macrolide antibiotics to examine the inhibitory effect of the drugs on the growth rate and cell viability. Inhibition of protein synthesis and 50S ribosomal subunit assembly were also examined. The growth rate and cell viability were reduced by each antibiotic in both erythromycin-susceptible and erythromycin-resistant MRSA organisms. Translation and the formation of the 50S ribosomal subunit were inhibited to an equal extent in the erythromycin-susceptible cells, but protein synthesis was affected to a greater extent by each macrolide in the erythromycin-resistant organisms. Clarithromycin was the most inhibitory of the three compounds, followed by erythromycin and azithromycin in relative effectiveness. The use of these compounds against MRSA organisms is discussed.

A comparison of the inhibition of translation and 50S ribosomal subunit formation in Staphylococcus aureus cells by nine different macrolide antibiotics.

Nine structurally similar macrolide antibiotics were tested at a concentration of 0.5 microg/ml for their relative inhibitory effects on ribosome functions in Staphylococcus aureus cells. Eight of the compounds examined inhibited protein synthesis at this concentration. Seven of the nine compounds were also effective in blocking formation of the 50S ribosomal subunit. Roxithromycin and 14-hydroxy clarithromycin inhibited protein synthesis to a greater extent than they affected 50S subunit formation. Conversely, the compound 11, 12-carbonate-3 deoxy-clarithromycin affected 50S assembly more than translation. Only clarithromycin had any effect on 30S ribosomal subunit assembly. The decline in growth rate and cell number was proportional to the effect on ribosome formation or function by each compound. These inhibitory activities can be related to structural differences between these macrolide antibiotics.

Inhibition of translation and 50S ribosomal subunit formation in Staphylococcus aureus cells by 11 different ketolide antibiotics.

Eleven structurally similar ketolide antibiotics were tested at a concentration of 1 microg/ml for their relative inhibitory effects on growth and ribosome activities in Staphylococcus aureus cells. Ten of the compounds examined had an inhibitory effect on protein synthesis at this concentration and eight of the 11 compounds were also effective inhibitors of the formation of the 50S ribosomal subunit. All of the drugs tested inhibited protein synthesis to a greater extent than they affected 50S subunit formation. The decline in growth rate and cell number was proportional to the effect on ribosome formation and function. The growth of an ermC erythromycin-resistant strain of S. aureus was also significantly inhibited by nine ketolide compounds, suggesting that they were not inducers of methylase gene expression. These inhibitory activities can be related to structural differences between these ketolide antibiotics.

Azithromycin and clarithromycin inhibition of 50S ribosomal subunit formation in Staphylococcus aureus cells.

The ID50 values for azithromycin and clarithromycin inhibition of translation and of 50S assembly in Staphylococcus aureus cells have been measured. For clarithromycin, 50% inhibition of growth occurred at 0.075 microg/ml, and the effects on translation and 50S formation were equivalent at 0.15 microg/ml. The inhibition of these processes by azithromycin was less effective, with an ID50 of 2.5 microg/ml for growth and 5 microg/ml for inhibition of translation and 50S formation. The additive effects of each of these drugs on translation and 50S formation account quantitatively for their observed influence on cellular growth rates. In macrolide-treated cells, there was also a direct relationship between the loss of ribosomal RNA from the 50S subunit and its accumulation as oligoribonucleotides. These results are compared with the previously described effects of erythromycin on these same processes.

50S ribosomal subunit synthesis and translation are equivalent targets for erythromycin inhibition in Staphylococcus aureus.

Macrolide antibiotics like erythromycin can prevent the formation of the 50S ribosomal subunit in growing bacterial cells, in addition to their inhibitory effect on translation. The significance of this novel finding has been further investigated. The 50% inhibitory doses of erythromycin for the inhibition of translation and 50S subunit assembly in Staphylococcus aureus cells were measured and were found to be identical. Together they account quantitatively for the observed effects of erythromycin on cell growth rates. There is also a direct relationship between the loss of rRNA from the 50S subunit and its accumulation as oligoribonucleotides in cells. The importance of this second site for erythromycin inhibition of bacterial cell growth is discussed.

Cytopathology and release of an RNA virus from a strain of Trichomonas vaginalis.

A strain of Trichomonas vaginalis infected with a double-stranded RNA virus showed pronounced cytopathology in the form of giant syncytia generated by the recruitment of single cells. The giant cells ultimately lysed, releasing virus into the culture medium. In the infected cells, clusters of electron-dense particles resembling viral structures were found in the cytoplasm. In addition, distinctive inclusions composed of similar particles were present in the nuclei of some cells. Double-stranded viral RNA of 5.5 kbp was demonstrated in both cytoplasmic and nuclear fractions from these cells. Viral particles collected from the cell-free culture supernatant were of the same shape and size as the RNA virus isolated from a strain of T. vaginalis described previously (Wang & Wang, Journal of Biological Chemistry, 260: 3697-3702, 1985; Wang & Wang, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the U.S.A. 83: 7956-7960, 1986) which does not show this cytopathology.

Macrolide antibiotics inhibit 50S ribosomal subunit assembly in Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus.

Macrolide antibiotics are clinically important antibiotics which are effective inhibitors of protein biosynthesis in bacterial cells. We have recently shown that some of these compounds also inhibit 50S ribosomal subunit formation in Escherichia coli. Now we show that certain macrolides have the same effect in two gram-positive organisms, Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus. Assembly in B. subtilis was prevented by erythromycin, clarithromycin, and azithromycin but not by oleandomycin. 50S subunit formation in S. aureus was prevented by each of seven structurally related 14-membered macrolides but not by lincomycin or two streptogramin antibiotics. Erythromycin treatment did not stimulate the breakdown of performed 50S subunits in either organism. The formation of the 30S ribosomal subunit was also unaffected by these compounds. Assembly was also inhibited in a B. subtilis strain carrying a plasmid with the ermC gene that confers macrolide resistance by rRNA methylation. These results suggest that ribosomes contain an additional site for the inhibitory functions of macrolide antibiotics.

Erythromycin inhibits the assembly of the large ribosomal subunit in growing Escherichia coli cells.

Erythromycin and other macrolide antibiotics have been examined for their effects on ribosome assembly in growing Escherichia coli cells. Formation of the 50S ribosomal subunit was specifically inhibited by erythromycin and azithromycin. Other related compounds tested, including oleandomycin, clarithromycin, spiramycin, and virginiamycin M1, did not influence assembly. Erythromycin did not promote the breakdown of ribosomes formed in the absence of the drug. Two erythromycin-resistant mutants with alterations in ribosomal proteins L4 and L22 were also examined for an effect on assembly. Subunit assembly was affected in the mutant containing the L22 alteration only at erythromycin concentrations fourfold greater than those needed to stop assembly in wild-type cells. Ribosomal subunit assembly was only marginally affected at the highest drug concentration tested in the cells that contained the altered L4 protein. These novel results indicate that erythromycin has two effects on translation, preventing elongation of the polypeptide chain and also inhibiting the formation of the large ribosomal subunit.

Ribosomal protein gene sequence changes in erythromycin-resistant mutants of Escherichia coli.

The genes for ribosomal proteins L4 and L22 from two erythromycin-resistant mutants of Escherichia coli have been isolated and sequenced. In the L4 mutant, an A-to-G transition in codon 63 predicted a Lys-to-Glu change in the protein. In the L22 strain, a 9-bp deletion removed codons 82 to 84, eliminating the sequence Met-Lys-Arg from the protein. Consistent with these DNA changes, in comparison with wild-type proteins, both mutant proteins had reduced first-dimension mobilities in two-dimensional polyacrylamide gels. Complementation of each mutation by a wild-type gene on a plasmid vector resulted in increased erythromycin sensitivity in the partial-diploid strains. The fraction of ribosomes containing the mutant form of the protein was increased by growth in the presence of erythromycin. Erythromycin binding was increased by the fraction of wild-type protein present in the ribosome population. The strain with the L4 mutation was found to be cold sensitive for growth at 20 degrees C, and 50S-subunit assembly was impaired at this temperature. The mutated sequences are highly conserved in the corresponding proteins from a number of species. The results indicate the participation of these proteins in the interaction of erythromycin with the ribosome.