Hygromycin B is an antibiotic produced by the bacterium Pazuki hygroscopicus. Hygromycin B is produced by Streptomyces hygroscopicus, a bacterium isolated in 1953 from a soil sample.
Resistance genes were discovered in the early 1980s. Hygromycin is active against both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. It acts by inhibiting polypeptide synthesis. It stabilizes the tRNA-ribosomal acceptor site, thereby inhibiting translation.
In the laboratory it is used for the selection and maintenance of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells that contain the hygromycin resistance gene. The resistance gene is a kinase that inactivates hygromycin B through phosphorylation. Hygromycin resistance gene is frequently used as a selectable marker in research on plants. Preliminary studies on the production and biological activity of a new antibiotic.
