Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1965 Apr;89(4):1117–1123. doi: 10.1128/jb.89.4.1117-1123.1965

Biochemical Effects of Novobiocin on Staphylococcus aureus

Rodney M Wishnow 1,2,1, Jack L Strominger 1,2,2, Claire H Birge 1,2, Robert H Threnn 1,2
PMCID: PMC277606  PMID: 14276105

Abstract

Wishnow, Rodney M. (Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Mo.), Jack L. Strominger, Claire H. Birge, and Robert H. Threnn. Biochemical effects of novobiocin on Staphylococcus aureus. J. Bacteriol. 89:1117–1123. 1965.—Novobiocin induced accumulation in Staphylococcus aureus of uridine nucleotide precursors of the cell-wall glycopeptide, of a cytidine nucleotide precursor of the teichoic acid in the cell wall, and of a large number of other ultraviolet-absorbing materials. These substances accumulated promptly on addition of the antibiotic at levels near the growth-inhibitory concentration. Isotopic experiments showed that, in addition to inhibiting cell-wall synthesis, novobiocin also inhibited both protein and nucleic acid synthesis. The lack of selectivity in the action of novobiocin is similar to that previously observed with gentian violet, and is quite different from the selective inhibition of cell-wall synthesis observed with penicillin or with d-cycloserine. Although inhibition of cell-wall synthesis is not excluded as one of the primary lethal effects of novobiocin, it is also possible that all of the observed phenomena are secondary to some other primary metabolic lesion.

Full text

PDF
1117

Images in this article

1119Image
on p.1119
1119Image
on p.1119
1119Image
on p.1119
1120Image
on p.1120
1120Image
on p.1120

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. BROCK T. D., BROCK M. L. Effect of novobiocin on permeability of Escherichia coli. Arch Biochem Biophys. 1959 Nov;85:176–185. doi: 10.1016/0003-9861(59)90461-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. BROCK T. D. Effects of magnesium ion deficiency on Escherichia coli and possible relation to the mode of action of novobiocin. J Bacteriol. 1962 Oct;84:679–682. doi: 10.1128/jb.84.4.679-682.1962. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. BROCK T. D. Magnesium binding as an explanation of the mode of action of novobiocin. Science. 1962 Apr 27;136(3513):316–317. doi: 10.1126/science.136.3513.316. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. LOWRY O. H., ROBERTS N. R., LEINER K. Y., WU M. L., FARR A. L. The quantitative histochemistry of brain. I. Chemical methods. J Biol Chem. 1954 Mar;207(1):1–17. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. LOWRY O. H., ROSEBROUGH N. J., FARR A. L., RANDALL R. J. Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent. J Biol Chem. 1951 Nov;193(1):265–275. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. MARKHAM R., SMITH J. D. The structure of ribonucleic acid. I. Cyclic nucleotides produced by ribonuclease and by alkaline hydrolysis. Biochem J. 1952 Dec;52(4):552–557. doi: 10.1042/bj0520552. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. NATHENSON S. G., STROMINGER J. L. Effects of penicillin on the biosynthesis of the cell walls of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1961 Jan;131:1–6. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. REISSIG J. L., STORMINGER J. L., LELOIR L. F. A modified colorimetric method for the estimation of N-acetylamino sugars. J Biol Chem. 1955 Dec;217(2):959–966. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. SHOCKMAN G. D., LAMPEN J. O. Inhibition by antibiotics of the growth of bacterial and yeast protoplasts. J Bacteriol. 1962 Sep;84:508–512. doi: 10.1128/jb.84.3.508-512.1962. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. STROMINGER J. L. Accumulation of uridine and cytidine nucleotides in Staphylococcus aureus inhibited by gentian violet. J Biol Chem. 1959 Jun;234(6):1520–1524. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. STROMINGER J. L. Microbial uridine-5'-pyrophosphate N-acetylamino sugar compounds. I. Biology of the penicillin-induced accumulation. J Biol Chem. 1957 Jan;224(1):509–523. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. STROMINGER J. L., PARK J. T., THOMPSON R. E. Composition of the cell wall of Staphylococcus aureus: its relation to the mechanism of action of penicillin. J Biol Chem. 1959 Dec;234:3263–3268. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. STROMINGER J. L., THRENN R. H. The optical configuration of the alanine residues in a uridine nucleotide and in the cell wall of Staphylococcus aureus. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1959 May;33(1):280–281. doi: 10.1016/0006-3002(59)90538-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. STROMINGER J. L. Uridine and guanosine nucleotides of hen oviduct. J Biol Chem. 1962 May;237:1388–1392. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. WALLAS C. H., STROMINGER J. L. Ristocetins, inhibitors of cell wall synthesis in Staphylococcus aureus. J Biol Chem. 1963 Jul;238:2264–2266. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Bacteriology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES