Streptomycin and its Mechanism of Action

Streptomycin is an antibiotic that is used to treat bacterial infections. It was the first antibiotic to be discovered that was effective against tuberculosis. Streptomycin works by inhibiting the process of protein synthesis in bacteria.

Inhibition of Prokaryotic Translation

Streptomycin targets the bacterial ribosome, which is responsible for the translation of messenger RNA (mRNA) into protein. The drug binds to a specific site on the 30S subunit of the ribosome, which is involved in the decoding of mRNA. This binding interferes with the accuracy of translation, leading to the production of non-functional proteins.

Effect on Eukaryotic Translation and Transcription

Streptomycin has a specific mechanism of action that targets the bacterial ribosome, and it does not affect the translation or transcription processes in eukaryotic cells. This is because eukaryotic ribosomes are structurally different from bacterial ribosomes, and the drug does not bind to the eukaryotic ribosome in the same way.

Furthermore, eukaryotic transcription involves the synthesis of mRNA from DNA in the nucleus, while translation takes place in the cytoplasm. Streptomycin cannot penetrate the nuclear membrane, and therefore, it cannot interact with the transcription process in eukaryotic cells.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the drug streptomycin inhibits the process of prokaryotic translation by targeting the bacterial ribosome. It does not affect the translation or transcription processes in eukaryotic cells because of the structural differences in the ribosomes.

Streptomycin inhibits initiation of translation and causes misreading of m-RNA by ribosomose .as a result no translation proceeds. resulting into no protein synthesis due to which bacteria can not synthesize the enzyme or protein required for its pathogenicity. hope it helps..