Effects of olivacine on the metabolism of proteins and nucleic acids in Escherichia coli

Abstract

Olivacine, a semi-synthetic isomer of ellipticine, interferes with the growth of Escherichia coli. Investigation of the effects of graded concentration shows that, in vivo, the synthesis of overall proteins is markedly more sensitive to low concentrations than is the synthesis of RNA and DNA, respectively. Furthermore, at moderate concentrations, olivacine is much more inhibitory to the synthesis of cytoplasmic proteins than to that of envelope proteins. At lethal concentration (10 −4 M) all macromolecular syntheses are inhibited, DNA synthesis, however, to a lower extent. Olivacine blocks the synthesis of polyribonucleotide and polypeptide chains at the elongation step. The resulting nascent products of both transcription and translation are unstable, whereas completed RNA molecules are partially stabilized in the presence of the drug.