A Mutation in the Decoding Center of Thermus thermophilus 16S rRNA Suggests a Novel Mechanism of Streptomycin Resistance

Abstract
A spontaneous kanamycin resistance and capreomycin resistance mutation, A1408G, in the decoding center of 16S rRNA, was identified in the extreme thermophile Thermus thermophilus . Unexpectedly, this mutation also confers resistance to streptomycin. We propose a novel mechanism of streptomycin resistance by which A1408G influences conformational changes in 16S rRNA during tRNA selection.