Research Area: Infection
Biological Activity:
Streptomycin sulfate is a sulfate salt of streptomycin that is a protein synthesis inhibitor. Streptomycin is an antibiotic drug, the first of a class of drugs called aminoglycosides to be discovered, and was the first antibiotic remedy for tuberculosis. Streptomycin is derived from the actinobacterium Streptomyces griseus. Streptomycin is a bactericidal antibiotic. Streptomycin binds to the S12 Protein of the 30S subunit of the bacterial ribosome, interfering with the binding of formyl-methionyl-tRNA to the 30S subunit. This prevents initiation of protein synthesis and leads to death of microbial cells. Humans have structurally different ribosomes from bacteria, thereby allowing the selectivity of this antibiotic for bacteria. However at low concentrations Streptomycin only inhibits growth of the bacteria by inducing prokaryotic ribosomes to misread mRNA. Streptomycin inhibits both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, and is a useful broad spectrum antibiotic. [1][2]References on Streptomycin sulfate[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streptomycin, , [2] J Mol Biol., 2007 Dec 7, 374(4):1065-76