Nature Communications (Aug 2023)

Molecular basis of the pleiotropic effects by the antibiotic amikacin on the ribosome

  • Savannah M. Seely,
  • Narayan P. Parajuli,
  • Arindam De Tarafder,
  • Xueliang Ge,
  • Suparna Sanyal,
  • Matthieu G. Gagnon

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-40416-5
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 14, no. 1
pp. 1 – 12

Abstract

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Abstract Aminoglycosides are a class of antibiotics that bind to ribosomal RNA and exert pleiotropic effects on ribosome function. Amikacin, the semisynthetic derivative of kanamycin, is commonly used for treating severe infections with multidrug-resistant, aerobic Gram-negative bacteria. Amikacin carries the 4-amino-2-hydroxy butyrate (AHB) moiety at the N1 amino group of the central 2-deoxystreptamine (2-DOS) ring, which may confer amikacin a unique ribosome inhibition profile. Here we use in vitro fast kinetics combined with X-ray crystallography and cryo-EM to dissect the mechanisms of ribosome inhibition by amikacin and the parent compound, kanamycin. Amikacin interferes with tRNA translocation, release factor-mediated peptidyl-tRNA hydrolysis, and ribosome recycling, traits attributed to the additional interactions amikacin makes with the decoding center. The binding site in the large ribosomal subunit proximal to the 3’-end of tRNA in the peptidyl (P) site lays the groundwork for rational design of amikacin derivatives with improved antibacterial properties.