Question

The antibiotic commonly used in inducing the mutations in cytoplasmic genes is
a. Tetramycin
b. Streptomycin
c. Tetracycline
d. Cyclosporine

Answer 1

The antibiotics are known to cause the death of the microbes such as bacteria by inducing mutations in genes either in the cytoplasm or nucleus and they also show their action by acting on the cell wall and cell membrane of the bacteria. There are different classes of antibiotics. Antibiotics can be a broad or narrow spectrum.

Complete answer:

Option A- Tetramycin
It is a type of macrolide antibiotic which is both antibacterial and antifungal. It functions by inhibiting the 50S ribosomal subunit thereby inhibiting translocation and further development of the bacterial cell.

Option B- Streptomycin
It is a type of aminoglycoside antibiotic inhibiting the 30S ribosomal subunit. It acts by showing mutagenicity for only cytoplasmic genes and not for nuclear genes. Thereby inducing mutations in only cytoplasmic genes of bacteria this antibiotic suitably matches the requirement of this question.

Option C- Tetracycline
It is a type of antibiotic acting against the 30S ribosomal subunit and prevents the initiation step of protein synthesis and also affecting the elongation process of the protein chain. It thereby blocks the protein formation at multiple steps.

Option D- Cyclosporine
It is an immunosuppressant used along with other medications in the organ transplantation process to prevent rejection of an organ. It is a medication that allows the transplanted organ to function normally in the body. So this does not match the requirement of the question.

Hence, the correct answer is option (B).

Note: Antibiotics are the chemical substances produced from microbial sources and are used against other microbial populations as bacteria. They can be bacteriostatic or bactericidal in nature. There are many classes of antibiotics.