Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy logoLink to Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy
. 1973 Mar;3(3):384–391. doi: 10.1128/aac.3.3.384

Interaction Between Deoxyribonucleic Acid and Distamycin A Studied by Transformation in Bacillus subtilis

G Mazza a, A Galizzi a, A Minghetti a,1, A Siccardi a
PMCID: PMC444420  PMID: 4208287

Abstract

Distamycin A inhibits deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)-mediated transformation and transfection in Bacillus subtilis at doses with little or no antibacterial effect. The inhibition of transformation parallels the inhibition of DNA uptake; further-more, during the transformation process, donor DNA molecules become distamycin and deoxyribonuclease resistant at the same time. This demonstrates that the drug acts by inhibiting DNA uptake. Although the drug is known to bind DNA, the inhibition is not related to affinity of the drug for DNA. This is shown by the lack of dependence of the extent of inhibition on DNA concentration, whereas the degree of inhibition depends upon cell concentration. Supporting this view is the fact that transformation by single-stranded DNA was also inhibited, even though the drug does not bind to denatured DNA. Distamycin A probably interferes with transformation by competing with DNA for some unknown bacterial component involved in transport of DNA into the cell.

Full text

PDF
384

Selected References

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

  1. CASAZZA A. M., GHIONE M. THERAPEUTIC ACTION OF DISTAMYCIN A ON VACCINIA VIRUS INFECTIONS IN VIVO. Chemotherapy. 1964;13:80–87. doi: 10.1159/000220347. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Casazza A. M., Fioretti A., Ghione M., Soldati M., Verini M. A. Distamycin A, a new antiviral antibiotic. Antimicrob Agents Chemother (Bethesda) 1965;5:593–598. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. DI MARCO A., GHIONE M., SANFILIPPO A., MORVILLO E. Selective inhibition of the multiplication of phage Tl in E. coli K12. Experientia. 1963 Mar 15;19:134–136. doi: 10.1007/BF02171593. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. LEVINE J. S., STRAUSS N. LAG PERIOD CHARACTERIZING THE ENTRY OF TRANSFORMING DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID INTO BACILLUS SUBTILIS. J Bacteriol. 1965 Feb;89:281–287. doi: 10.1128/jb.89.2.281-287.1965. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Mazza G., Eisenstark H. M., Serra M. C., Polsinelli M. Effect of caffeine on the recombination process of Bacillus subtilis. Mol Gen Genet. 1972;115(1):73–79. doi: 10.1007/BF00272219. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Polsinelli M., Barlati S. Effect of periodate on competence in Bacillus subtilis. J Gen Microbiol. 1967 Nov;49(2):267–275. doi: 10.1099/00221287-49-2-267. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Riva S., Polsinelli M., Falaschi A. A new phage of Bacillus subtilis with infectious DNA having separable strands. J Mol Biol. 1968 Jul 28;35(2):347–356. doi: 10.1016/s0022-2836(68)80029-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Sanfilippo A. Activity of distamycin A on the transfer of drug resistance in gram-negative clinical isolates. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1971 Jun 11;182:322–328. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1971.tb30668.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Sanfilippo A., Morvillo E., Ghione M. Activity of distamycin A on the induction of adaptive enzymes in Escherichia coli. J Gen Microbiol. 1966 Jun;43(3):369–374. doi: 10.1099/00221287-43-3-369. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Tevethia M. J., Mandel M. Effects of pH on transformation of Bacillus subtilis with single-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid. J Bacteriol. 1971 Jun;106(3):802–807. doi: 10.1128/jb.106.3.802-807.1971. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Verini M. A., Ghione M. Activity of a distamycin A on vaccinia virus infection of cell cultures. Chemotherapy. 1964;9(3):144–157. doi: 10.1159/000220355. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. WERNER G. H., GANTER P., DE RATULD Y. STUDIES ON THE ANTIVIRAL ACTIVITY OF DISTAMYCIN A. Chemotherapy. 1964;13:65–79. doi: 10.1159/000220346. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. YOUNG F. E., SPIZIZEN J. Physiological and genetic factors affecting transformation of Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol. 1961 May;81:823–829. doi: 10.1128/jb.81.5.823-829.1961. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Zimmer C., Luck G. Optical rotatory dispersion properties of nucleic acid complexes with the oligopeptide antibiotics distamycin A and netropsin. FEBS Lett. 1970 Oct;10(5):339–342. doi: 10.1016/0014-5793(70)80467-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Zimmer C., Reinert K. E., Luck G., Wähnert U., Löber G., Thrum H. Interaction of the oligopeptide antibiotics netropsin and distamycin A with nucleic acids. J Mol Biol. 1971 May 28;58(1):329–348. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(71)90250-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES