Formycin A resistant mutants due to defect in adenosine transport system in Vibrio parahaemolyticus.

An antibiotic formycin A inhibited growth of Vibrio parahaemolyticus under certain conditions, which suggested that formycin A was taken up by cells under these conditions. We found that formycin A was transported via the adenosine transport system which we previously reported as a Na(+)-coupled cotransport system. We isolated many formycin A resistant mutants, and about half of them grew very poorly on adenosine as a sole source of carbon. Judging from their reversion frequencies, these mutants seemed to have single mutations. Respiration driven uptake of 14C-adenosine was not observed in such mutants; also, Na+ uptake induced by the addition of adenosine or formycin A to a cell suspension was completely abolished in them. Thus we conclude that these mutants possess a defect in the Na+/adenosine cotransport system, and have become formycin A resistant.