Inhibition of Protein Synthesis by D-threo-chloramphenicol in the Laboratory and Nodule Forms of Rhizobium lupini

Protein synthesis by both laboratory-grown bacteria and isolated nodule bacteroids of Rhizobium lupini (strain WU8) is inhibited by D-threo-chloramphenicol, the bacteroid form being the more sensitive to the antibiotic. A comparison between the two forms of the uptake of [14C]chloramphenicol showed that the bacteria always attained a lower intracellular chloramphenicol concentration. It is proposed that the sensitivity difference is due to a difference in membrane permeability between the two forms.