Lal R, Lal S
Department of Zoology, University of Delhi, India.
Bioessays. 1994 Mar;16(3):211-6. doi: 10.1002/bies.950160313.
Rifamycin is a clinically useful macrolide antibiotic produced by the gram positive bacterium Amycolatopsis mediterranei. This antibiotic is primarily used against Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium leprae, causative agents of tuberculosis and leprosy, respectively. In these bacteria, rifamycin treatment specifically inhibits the initiation of RNA synthesis by binding to beta-subunit of RNA polymerase. Apart from its activity against the bacteria, rifamycin has also been reported to inhibit reverse transcriptase (RT) of certain RNA viruses. Recently, rifamycin derivatives have been discovered that are effective against Mycobacterium avium, which is associated with the AIDS complex. Consequently, the importance of and demand for rifamycin has increased tremendously, the world over. In this article, recent trends in rifamycin research and accessibility of recombinant DNA techniques to increase rifamycin production are reviewed.
利福霉素是由革兰氏阳性菌地中海拟无枝酸菌产生的一种具有临床应用价值的大环内酯类抗生素。这种抗生素主要用于对抗结核分枝杆菌和麻风分枝杆菌，分别是结核病和麻风病的病原体。在这些细菌中，利福霉素治疗通过与RNA聚合酶的β亚基结合来特异性抑制RNA合成的起始。除了其对细菌的活性外，据报道利福霉素还能抑制某些RNA病毒的逆转录酶（RT）。最近，已发现对鸟分枝杆菌有效的利福霉素衍生物，鸟分枝杆菌与艾滋病相关综合征有关。因此，利福霉素在全球的重要性和需求量都大幅增加。本文综述了利福霉素研究的最新趋势以及利用重组DNA技术提高利福霉素产量的可行性。
