Question

An antibiotic named fixmycin, which you have isolated from a fungus growing on ripe passion fruit, is effective in curing several types of sexually transmitted diseases. In characterizing fixmycin’s mode of action, you have found that it is a bacterial translational inhibitor that binds exclusively to the large subunit of E. coli ribosomes. The initiation of protein synthesis in the presence of Fixmycin results in the generation of dipeptides that remain associated with the ribosome. Suggest a mechanism of fixmycin action.

Short answer

Fixmycin binds only to the big subunit.

Step-by-step solution

Definition of Fungus

A mushroom (plural: fungi or fungi) is a eukaryotic organism that contains microbes such as yeasts and moulds, as well as more distinct mushrooms.

Determining mRNA with prokaryotic control sites

It may have bound to the ribosome's E-site to prevent tRNA from exiting the ribosome. This indicates that the dipeptides are still linked to tRNA, preventing further translation.