Nitrofurans, a group of synthetic antibiotics, with a new mode of action: discrimination of specific messenger RNA classes.

Nitrofurans, a class of antibacterial drugs in extensive use, interferes with gene expression in a highly specific manner. While in the low dose range (0.5-25 mug/ml), 5-nitro-2-furfurylidene-1-aminohydantoin has no effect on transcription, it inhibits specifically the expression of one class of genes in translation. The specific inhibition concerns the inducible genes. The inhibition of messenger RNA expression occurs at the initiation step. The action of nitrofurans, thus, indicates heterogeneity in the population of mRNA molecules and in the translational machinery and suggests the possibility of selective translational control.