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. 1974 Feb;5(2):169–178. doi: 10.1128/aac.5.2.169

Trimethoprim Action and Its Analogy with Thymine Starvation

S G B Amyes 1, J T Smith 1
PMCID: PMC428939  PMID: 4275615

Abstract

In a minimal medium, trimethoprim is merely bacteriostatic on the prototroph Escherichia coli 114. The drug was bactericidal when the amino acids methionine and glycine, plus a purine or purine nucleoside, were also present. This response could be reversed completely when thymine and lysine were added to the culture. Methionine, glycine, and the purine are thought to maintain the integrity of the tetrahydrofolate pool under trimethoprim treatment and prevent the thymidylate synthetase reaction. Thus, the organism behaves phenotypically as a thymineless mutant. The mechanisms by which thymine and lysine reverse the bactericidal effect of trimethoprim in a minimal medium containing methionine, glycine, and adenine is discussed.

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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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