Open AccessLight inhibits rifampicin inactivation and reduces rifampicin resistance due to a cloned mycobacterial ADP‐ribosylation gene
Author(s) -
Dabbs Eric R,
Quan Selwyn
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.2000.tb08882.x
Subject(s) - rifampicin , microbiology and biotechnology , antibiotics , gene , biology , rhodococcus equi , chemistry , biochemistry , virulence
Rifampicin is a principal drug used to combat infections by mycobacteria and related organisms. Most strains of Mycobacterium are able to inactivate this antibiotic by ribosylation via an ADP‐ribosylated intermediate. We found that this inactivation was inhibited by light at levels similar to those prevailing in laboratory environments. Rifampicin resistance arising from the cloned ADP‐ribosyl transferase was also greatly diminished at these light levels. The cloned Rhodococcus equi monooxygenase which inactivates this antibiotic by a different mechanism was, in contrast, not inhibited by light.