INTERACTION OF TETRACYCLINE WITH PROTEIN SYNTHESIZING SYSTEM OF STREPTOMYCES AUREOFACIENS

The interaction between protein synthesis and production of tetracycline in Streptomyces aureofaciens was studied. It has been shownthat the amount of tetracycline bound to ribosomes rapidly rises, as compared with the production of the drug. The accumulation of tetracycline in the cultivation medium results in the formation of tetracycline-ribosome aggregates. The highest level of binding was equivalent to 320molecules of tetracycline per ribosome. The results obtained with the S 30 fraction, containing endogenous mRNA suggest that protein-synthesizing system of tetracycline-producing microorganisms is more resistant to the antibiotic effect than similar systems isolated from drug-sensitive bacteria. Tetracycline itself can have a regulatory function in the metabolism of producing cells. Accumulation of tetracycline during growth may lead to limitation of protein synthesis and enzyme systems involved in the machinery of secondary metabolite biosynthesis.