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. 1978 Apr;13(4):589–597. doi: 10.1128/aac.13.4.589

Differential Binding of Penicillin by Membrane Fractions from Penicillin-Susceptible and -Resistant Gonococci

William J Rodriguez 1, Arthur K Saz 1
PMCID: PMC352293  PMID: 96727

Abstract

An inverse relationship between binding of [14C]penicillin to cells of Neisseria gonorrhoeae and the minimal inhibitory concentration of penicillin was recently reported by us. Herein we report a similar relationship in binding by cytoplasmic membranes derived from 10 strains of gonococci. Membranes were extracted after Braun homogenization and differential centrifugation of the resulting extracts. Membranes derived from penicillin-susceptible cells bound 140 to 200 nmol of [14C]penicillin per g of enzyme, whereas relatively nonsusceptible strains bound 18 to 59 nmol. Binding by cell walls was only a small fraction of the total binding and probably represents contamination of the walls by membrane. Pretreatment of cell membranes with either unlabeled penicillin or cephalothin prior to [14C]penicillin exposure markedly decreased 14C binding. Slab gel electrophoresis of membranes revealed 13 protein bands, 8 of which were labeled.

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Selected References

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

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