Antibiotics, regulation

H. Kleinkanf and H. von Dithren, in L. C. Vining, ed.. Biochemistry and Genetic Regulation of Commercially Important Antibiotics, Addison-Wesley, Reading, Mass., 1983, p. 95. 

Certain amino acids and their derivatives, although not found in proteins, nonetheless are biochemically important. A few of the more notable examples are shown in Figure 4.5. y-Aminobutyric acid, or GABA, is produced by the decarboxylation of glutamic acid and is a potent neurotransmitter. Histamine, which is synthesized by decarboxylation of histidine, and serotonin, which is derived from tryptophan, similarly function as neurotransmitters and regulators. /3-Alanine is found in nature in the peptides carnosine and anserine and is a component of pantothenic acid (a vitamin), which is a part of coenzyme A. Epinephrine (also known as adrenaline), derived from tyrosine, is an important hormone. Penicillamine is a constituent of the penicillin antibiotics. Ornithine, betaine, homocysteine, and homoserine are important metabolic intermediates. Citrulline is the immediate precursor of arginine. 

Two mechanisms are operating alone or in concert to minimize the antibiotic concentration at the intracellular target site Downregulation of the expression of the pore proteins, also called porins, and upregulation of one or a set of several unspecific efflux pumps. However, the impact of these mechanisms on the resistance is low, since due to the essential function of porins for uptake of nutrients their reduction is limited and to avoid disturbances of membrane integrity due to extensive oveiproduction of mdr efflux pumps these are subjected a strict regulation. 

The results showed that the compounds studied with more frequency in the aquatic environment, and of which, logically, there is more information, are the antibiotics, analgesics and anti-inflammatories (like diclofenac, ibuprofen, naproxen, acetylsalicylic acid, and paracetamol), as well as the p-blocker atenolol. In the category of antibiotics, several families are included, like the macrolides (erythromycin), the fluoroquinolones (ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin), sulfonamides (sulfamethoxazole), penicillins (amoxicillin), the metronidazol, and trimethoprim. Other therapeutic groups also widely studied and frequently found in the environmental waters are the lipid regulators (gemfibrozil and bezafibrat), antiepileptic carbamaze-pine, and antidepressants (diazepam, fluoxetine, paroxetine) (see Table 3). 

Further studies on the mechanism of resistance of aminoglycoside antibiotics focused on resistance genes existing in antibiotic-producer strains (mainly by Drs. Y. Okami and Kunimoto Hotta), and gradually clarified the relationship between the antibiotic-producing and -regulating mechanism. During this search, indolizomycin (1984) was discovered by cell fusion of two kinds of strains. 

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