Indolmycin Inhibits Prokaryotic Tryptophanyl-tRNA Ligase

Abstract

Indolmycin specifically prevents the formation of tryptophanyl-tRNA in a prokaryotic system in vitro using Escherichia coli enzymes. However, the drug has little effect in an eukaryotic system in vitro (rat liver enzymes). Analysis of the type of inhibition revealed that indolmycin competes with tryptophan as a pure competitive inhibitor of prokaryotic tryptophanyl-tRNA ligase.