title: Nikkomycin Z counteracts Rylux BSU and Congo red inhibition of Saccharomyces cerevisiae growth but does not prevent formation of aberrant cell walls.
abstract: Rylux BSU and congo red bind to chitin, interfere with proper cell-wall assembly, and stimulate chitin synthesis by increasing, most probably, chitin synthase 3 (ChS3) levels in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. On the other hand, the antibiotic nikkomycin Z inhibits chitin synthesis competitively. As ChS3 is the critical target of nikkomycin Z, its effect was tested in cells inhibited in growth by Rylux BSU or Congo red. Nikkomycin Z counteracted this inhibition but did not counteract aberrant cell-wall formation. These results indicate that chitin synthesis stimulation is the key step in Rylux BSU and congo red inhibition and support the idea that increase in chitin synthesis represents a compensatory response to damaged cell-wall structure. As Rylux BSU and congo red bind to newly synthesized chitin, further damage is caused in the wall and the response works in this case contrariwise. Nikkomycin Z breaks this vicious circle by counteracting the chitin synthesis stimulation.
authors.affiliation: Center for Molecular Biology and Medicine, School of Medicine, Palacký University, Olomouc, Czech Republic. rac@tunw.upol.cz
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Raclavský
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Novotný
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Smígová
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Vojkůvka
mesh_terms: D000617:Aminoglycosides; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001557:Benzenesulfonates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002686:Chitin / Q000096:biosynthesis; D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D003224:Congo Red / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000494:pharmacology; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D000617:Aminoglycosides; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001557:Benzenesulfonates; D004396:Coloring Agents; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; C063557:Rylux BSU; D002686:Chitin; D003224:Congo Red; C011952:nikkomycin