Question

The antibiotic chloramphenicol acts by binding to the rRNA in the large subunit of the ribosome and blocking the formation of peptide bonds. What effect would this have on transcription and translation? How does this action make chloramphenicol effective at inhibiting bacterial growth?

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Answer 1

The antibiotic chloramphenicol affects translation in bacteria and inhibits bacterial growth by:

Chloramphenicol binds to the 50S ribosomal subunit and blocks peptide formation through inhibition of peptidyl transferase. So no protein synthesis occurs in bacteria but it does not affect the cytosolic protein synthesis in eukaryotes.

Effect of antibiotic chloramphenicol on transcription in bacteria:

Low concentration of antibiotic chloramphenicol results in accumulation of stable RNA and mRNA in excess of total protein. The syntheses of individual ribosomal proteins are co-ordinately stimulated so that the balance between rRNA and ribosomal protein production is maintained.

But the effect is opposite at the higher dosage concentration of chloramphenicol, which inhibits protein synthesis.