Issue 1, 2022

Inhibition of chloroplast translation as a new target for herbicides

Abstract

The rise in herbicide resistance over recent decades threatens global agriculture and food security and so discovery of new modes of action is increasingly important. Here we reveal linezolid, an oxazolidinone antibiotic that inhibits microbial translation, is also herbicidal. To validate the herbicidal mode of action of linezolid we confirmed its micromolar inhibition is specific to chloroplast translation and did not affect photosynthesis directly. To assess the herbicide potential of linezolid, testing against a range of weed and crop species found it effective pre- and post-emergence. Using structure–activity analysis we identified the critical elements for herbicidal activity, but importantly also show, using antimicrobial susceptibility assays, that separation of antibacterial and herbicidal activities was possible. Overall these results validate chloroplast translation as a viable herbicidal target.

Graphical abstract: Inhibition of chloroplast translation as a new target for herbicides

Supplementary files

Transparent peer review

To support increased transparency, we offer authors the option to publish the peer review history alongside their article.

View this article’s peer review history

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
04 10月 2021
Accepted
10 11月 2021
First published
10 11月 2021
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

RSC Chem. Biol., 2022,3, 37-43

Inhibition of chloroplast translation as a new target for herbicides

K. V. Sukhoverkov, K. J. Breese, A. W. Debowski, M. W. Murcha, K. A. Stubbs and J. S. Mylne, RSC Chem. Biol., 2022, 3, 37 DOI: 10.1039/D1CB00192B

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications, without requesting further permission from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given and it is not used for commercial purposes.

To request permission to reproduce material from this article in a commercial publication, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party commercial publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements