Scientists at a pharmaceutical company are exposing bacteria to new "prototype" antibiotics. During antibiotic treatment, many o
f these bacteria swell and eventually lyse. These new antibiotics likely target which of the following in bacteria?Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.a)mitochondria and energy productionb)nuclei and genetic materialc)peptidoglycan synthesis and cell wallsd)ribosomes and protein synthesis
The main points of action of antibiotics are inhibition of bacterial cell wall peptideoglycan synthesis, cytoplasmic membrane damage and interference with nucleic acid and protein synthesis.
The bacterial cell wall is formed by peptideoglycan. Penicillin and other antibiotics prevent its complete synthesis, consequently weaken the cell wall and the cell lyses. Because human cells lack peptideoglycan, penicillin has low toxicity to the host cell. The synthesis of peptideoglycan components is affected by β-lactam antibiotics (penicillins and cephalosporins).
For this reason, we can conclude that the antibiotics described in the above question are those that target peptidoglycan and cell wall synthesis.
