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Microbial Resistance to Drugs pp 227–248Cite as

Methylation of RNA and Resistance to Antibiotics

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Part of the book series: Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology ((HEP,volume 91))

Abstract

Microorganisms have evolved or acquired various modes of resistance to antibiotics, as discussed in depth in this volume. In some cases, active drug molecules may be physically prevented from encountering the target site(s) at which they normally act, either by direct exclusion at membrane barriers or by chemical inactivation due to extracellular enzymes (e.g. β-lactamases). In other instances, where total exclusion of the drug from the cytoplasm cannot be achieved, resistance may depend upon the operation of antibiotic efflux mechanisms (e.g. for tetracycline) or upon drug inactivation by intracellular enzymes and cofactors (e.g. for aminoglycosides). Thus, in some organisms, a critical balance may be struck between drug accumulation on the one hand and its removal or inactivation on the other, so that inhibitory drug concentrations are not established intracellularly.

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  1. E. Cundliffe
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  1. Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, Health Sciences Centre, 3330 Hospital Drive N.W., T2N 4N1, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

    Lawrence E. Bryan M.D., Ph. D., F.R.C.P. (C.) (Head) (Head)

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© 1989 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Cundliffe, E. (1989). Methylation of RNA and Resistance to Antibiotics. In: Bryan, L.E. (eds) Microbial Resistance to Drugs. Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology, vol 91. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-74095-4_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-74095-4_10

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