An intervening sequence (IVS) can be present or absent in the 23S rRNA of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli. As part of a survey, we used a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay to detect the presence of the IVS in 43 isolates of C. coli and 82 isolates of C. jejuni. An IVS was present in 40 (93.0%) of the C. coli and only 34 (41.5%) of the C. jejuni isolates. Twelve (27.9%) of the C....

Although 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis is employed most often for the definitive identification of Nocardia species, alternate molecular methods and polymorphisms in other gene targets have also enabled species determinations. We evaluated a combined Nocardia PCR-based reverse line blot (RLB) hybridization assay based on 16S and 16S-23S rRNA gene spacer region polymorphisms to identify 12 Ame...

We identified a short RNA fragment, complementary to the Escherichia coli 23S rRNA segment comprising nucleotides 735 to 766 (in domain II), which when expressed in vivo results in the suppression of UGA nonsense mutations in two reporter genes. Neither UAA nor UAG mutations, examined at the same codon positions, were suppressed by the expression of this antisense rRNA fragment. Our results sug...

Resistance to linezolid among Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faecalis isolates has been reported in patients who receive a prolonged course of the drug. We report two cases of linezolid-resistant Enterococcus faecalis that occurred in patients who previously received linezolid for infections with vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium. Both isolates had the G2576U mutation in the 23S ...

Mutations in ribosomal protein L16 and in 23S rRNA were investigated in 22 Enterococcus strains of different species and for which the MICs of evernimicin differ (MICs, 0.023 to 16 micro g/ml). Amino acid changes (Arg56His, Ile52Thr, or Arg51His) in protein L16 were found in seven strains, and a nucleotide G2535A mutation in 23S rRNA was found in 1 strain among 13 for which the MICs are > or =1...

BACKGROUND We previously reported the case of a 64-year-old man with mediastinitis caused by Staphylococcus aureus in which the infecting bacterium acquired linezolid resistance after only 14 days treatment with linezolid. We therefore investigated relevant clinical isolates for possible mechanisms of this rapid acquisition of linezolid resistance. METHODS Using clinical S. aureus isolates, w...

The value of the rRNA chain elongation rate in bacteria is an important physiological parameter, as it affects not only the rRNA promoter activity but also the free-RNA polymerase concentration and thereby the transcription of all genes. On average, rRNA chains elongate at a rate of 80 to 90 nucleotides (nt) per s, and the transcription of an entire rrn operon takes about 60 s (at 37 degrees C)...

The number of rRNA genes in Streptomyces lividans was examined by Southern hybridization. Randomly labeled 23 and 16S rRNAs were hybridized with BamHI, BglII, PstI, SalI, or XhoI digests of S. lividans TK21 DNA. BamHi, BglII, SalI and XhoI digests yielded six radioactive bands each for the 23 and 16S rRNAs, whereas PstI digests gave one band for the 23S rRNA and one high-intensity band and six ...

In vitro transcripts containing domain V of the 23S rRNA of Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis can reactivate denatured proteins almost as efficiently as the total 23S rRNA. Here we show that almost the full length of domain V is required for reactivation of denatured pig muscle lactate dehydrogenase and pig heart cytoplasmic malate dehydrogenase: the central loop of this domain alone is no...

ErmC' is a methyltransferase that confers resistance to the macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B group of antibiotics by catalyzing the methylation of 23S rRNA at a specific adenine residue (A-2085 in Bacillus subtilis; A-2058 in Escherichia coli). The gene for ErmC' was cloned and expressed to a high level in E. coli, and the protein was purified to virtual homogeneity. Studies of substrate r...