Streptomycin

Streptomycin is an aminoglycoside antibiotic isolated from Streptomyces griseus. Streptomycin was initially used to treat tuberculosis before more effective drugs entered the clinic. Streptomycin’s mechanism of action involves binding to the 30S subunit of the bacterial ribosome and causing misreadings in the genetic code. Cell-free ribosomal reaction mixtures capable of in vitro translation, using a mixture of radiolabeled and non-radiolabeled aminoacyl t-RNA, can be used to record the frequency of codon misreadings. Streptomycin resistance mechanisms involve mutations to the S12 ribosomal subunit, streptomycin-inactivating enzymes, and multidrug efflux pumps.