Rapidly dividing bacteria cells are exposed to penicillin. During replication, mutations within the ribosome (molecular machine involved in protein synthesis) result in bacteria that are resistant to penicillin.

Question

Rapidly dividing bacteria cells are exposed to penicillin. During replication, mutations within the ribosome  (molecular machine involved in protein synthesis) result in bacteria that are resistant to penicillin.

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Consider the basic mechanism of action for penicillin: it inhibits enzymes involved in peptidoglycan cross-linking (PBPs) needed for bacterial cell wall synthesis, which is separate from the ribosome’s role in protein production.
Option 1: True. The statement claims that mutations in the ribosome during replication lead to penicillin-resistant bacteria. This is not consistent with how penicillin resistance typically arises, because changes in the ribosome affect translation, not the drug’s target or the cell wall synthesis pathway. Therefore, this option misattributes the mechanism of resistance.
Option 2: False. Since penicillin targets cell wall synthesis, resistance generally emerges through mechanisms like production of beta-lactamases that inactivate the antibiotic, altered PBPs with reduced drug binding, or changes in cell permeability, rather than mutations in the ribosome. Ribosomal mutations would rarely, if ever, directly confer a specific resistance to penicillin, and the statement conflates distinct cellular processes.
In sum, the assertion that ribosomal mutations cause penicillin resistance does not align with the established mechanism of action of penicillin and common resistance strategies, making the statement incorrect.

FA25 BIOCHEM 104 002 Quiz over classes 15 and 16

Rapidly dividing bacteria cells are exposed to penicillin. During replication, mutations within the ribosome (molecular machine involved in protein synthesis) result in bacteria that are resistant to penicillin.

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