SENSITIVITY OF RIBOSOMES OF THE HYPERTHERMOPHILIC BACTERIUM AQUIFEX PYROPHILUS TO AMINOGLYCOSIDE ANTIBIOTICS

A poly(U)-programmed cell-free system from the hyperthermophilic bacte rium Aquifex pyrophilus has been developed, and the susceptibility of Aquifex ribosomes to the miscoding-inducing and inhibitory actions of all known classes of aminoglycoside antibiotics has been assayed at te mperatures (75 to 80 degrees C) close to the physiological optimum for cell growth. Unlike Thermotoga maritima ribosomes, which are systemat ically refractory to all known classes of aminoglycoside compounds (P. Londei, S. Altamura, R. Huber, K. O. Stetter, and P. Cammarano, J. Ba cteriol, 170:4353-4360, 1988), Aquifex ribosomes are susceptible to al l of the aminoglycosides tested (disubstituted 2-deoxystreptamines mon osubstituted 2-deoxystreptamines, and streptidine compounds). The sign ificance of this result in light of the Aquifex and Thermotoga placeme nts in phylogenetic trees of molecular sequences is discussed.