Erythromycin: acts by inhibition of protein synthesis by binding to the 23S ribosomal RNA molecule in the 50S subunit of ribosomes in susceptible bacterial organisms.
Penicillin: kills bacteria by binding the beta-lactam ring to DD-transpeptidase, inhibiting its cross-linking activity and preventing the formation of new cell walls. A bacterial cell without a cell wall is vulnerable to outside water and molecular pressures, causing the cell to die quickly.
Kanamycin: Kanamycin works by binding to the bacterial 30S ribosomal subunit, causing mRNA misreading and preventing the bacterium from synthesizing proteins required for growth.
Chloramphenicol: Chloramphenicol is an antibacterial with broad activity against gram-positive, gram-negative, and Rickettsia bacteria. It works by interfering with bacterial protein synthesis by binding to ribosomes.
Novobiocin: inhibition of the GyrB subunit of the bacterial DNA gyrase enzyme, which is involved in energy transfer.
Tetracycline: binds reversibly to the 30S ribosomal subunit in a position that prevents aminoacyl-tRNA from binding to the acceptor site on the mRNA-ribosome complex.
Streptomycin: interferes with the function of ribosomes in bacterial cells, the complex molecular machines that create proteins by linking amino acids together.
Neomycin: Through irreversible binding to the 30S ribosomal subunit of susceptible bacteria, it inhibits bacterial protein synthesis.
Question: Which antibiotics seem to have the broadest spectrum of activity and why?
