Abstract
Antibiotics inhibit growth either reversibly (bacteristatic) or irreversibly (bactericidal). This inhibition is a result of interference with reactions that are essential for growth. Such reactions may be in the biosynthetic pathways leading to metabolic building blocks or coenzymes, in the synthesis of macromolecules, such as proteins and nucleic acids, or in the maintenance and synthesis of cellular structures, such as the cell wall or the cell membrane. To determine the mode of action of an antibiotic is to find out first the reaction whose inhibition is responsible for the observed inhibition of growth and then to find the way in which the antibiotic blocks that particular reaction.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
All Aspects
Bücher, Th. and H. Sies, eds., Inhibitors, Tools in Cell Research, Springer-Verlag, New York, 1969.
Gottlieb, D. and P. D. Shaw, eds., Antibiotics, I. Mechanism of Action, Springer-Verlag, New York, 1967.
Granada Symposium on “Mechanism of Action of Antibiotics Against Protein Synthesis and Membranes”, edited by Muñoz in preparation.
Cell Wall
Osborn, M. J., “Structure and biosynthesis of the bacterial cell wall,” Ann. Rev. Biochem. 38, 501–538, 1969.
Ghuysen, M. J., “Use of bacteriolytic enzymes in determination of wall structure and their roll in cell metabolism,” Bacterial Rev. 32, 425–464, 1968.
Cell Membrane
Harold, F. M., Antimicrobial Agents and Membrane Function. In Advances in Microbial Physiology 4, 45–104, Academic Press, Inc., New York, 1970.
Proteins and Nucleic Acids
Lewin, B. M., The Molecular Basis of Gene Expression, Wiley-Interscience, London, 1970.
Watson, J. D., Molecular Biology of the Gene, 2d ed., W. A. Benjamin, Inc., New York, 1970.
Mahler, H. R. and E. H. Cordes, Biological Chemistry, Harper and Row, Publishers, New York, 1966.
The mechanism of protein synthesis, Cold Spring Harbor Symp. Quant. Biol. 34, 1969.
Weisblum, B. and J. Davies, “Antibiotic inhibitors of the bacterial ribosome,” Bacteriol. Rev. 32, 493–528, 1968.
Nomura, M., “Bacterial ribosome,” Bacteriol. Rev. 34, 228–277, 1970.
Lehninger, A. L., Biochemistry. The Molecular Basis of Cell Structure and Function, Worth Publishers, Inc., New York, 1970.
Siderochromes
Snow, G. A., “Mycobactins: Iron-chelating growth factors from mycobacteria,” Bacteriol. Rev. 34, 99–125, 1970.
Kellerh-Schierlein, W., V. Prelog and H. Zähner, Siderochrome. Progress in the Chemistry of Organic Natural Products 22, 279, 1964.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1972 Springer-Verlag New York Inc.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Zähner, H., Maas, W.K. (1972). Mode of Action. In: Biology of Antibiotics. Heidelberg Science Library. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-9373-3_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-9373-3_5
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-0-387-90034-6
Online ISBN: 978-1-4613-9373-3
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive