Abstract
THE antibiotic chloramphenicol inhibits the uptake of cations and anions by higher plant tissues when supplied at high concentrations (1–2 g/1.) (ref. 1). Since chloramphenicol specifically inhibits the synthesis of protein in bacteria2, it has been suggested that this finding indicates a close connexion between salt uptake and protein synthesis in plants1,3. However, when precautions are taken to avoid the complication introduced by the inhibition by chloramphenicol of the uptake of amino-acids, no effect of chloramphenicol on the incorporation of L-leucine or L-threonine into the trichloroacetic acid-insoluble fraction of beet slices can be demonstrated, although salt uptake is inhibited under the same conditions4. These results suggest that the action of chloramphenicol on plant tissues may not be mediated in the manner anticipated from studies on bacterial systems.
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References
Sutcliffe, J. F., Nature, 188, 294 (1960).
Brock, T. D., Bact. Rev., 25, 32 (1961).
Jacoby, B., and Sutcliffe, J. F., J. Exp. Bot., 13, 335 (1962).
Ellis, R. J., Phytochem. (in the press).
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Ellis, R. J., Joy, K. W., and Sutcliffe, J. F., Phytochem. (in the press).
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ELLIS, R. Chloramphenicol and Uptake of Salt in Plants. Nature 200, 596–597 (1963). https://doi.org/10.1038/200596b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/200596b0
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