Question

why did streptomycin work on bacterial ribosomes but not the cytoplasmic ribosomes of fungi?

Answer 1

Antibiotics are generally given against prokaryotic cell . In case of streptomycin it irreversibly binds with ribosomal RNA in 30 s bacterial ribosomal unit and interfere with initiation of mRNA and protein assembly which will cause translational mutation by wrongly decoding the mRNA . This will cause premature termination and cause destruction of bacteria. They are not active against Fung because streptomycin produced from streptomyces is itself a fungi. Fungi are eukaryotes with 60 s and 40s ribosomal unit. Streptomyces specifically attack 30s ribosome which is absent in fungi . So they cannot counter the mechanism and thereby cause destruction.

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