Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy are known to be more susceptible to infections, including those caused by bacteria, viruses, or fungi. While common side effects of chemotherapy come from impairing the immune system by killing healthy white blood cells, there could be other molecular level disruptions caused by anticancer drugs. In this study, we tested the possible impact of cisplatin, which is a commonly used anticancer drug, on resistance to antibacterial drugs such as aminoglycosides. More specifically, positively charged monoaquated cisplatin and small model ribosomal RNA (rRNA) constructs were employed. The rates of the platination were determined by using gel shift analysis in the presence of different aminoglycosides. The rates of platination with RNA are shown to decrease in the presence of aminoglycosides, suggesting a competition between cisplatin and aminoglycosides to bind to the RNA. This work demonstrates the utility of monoaquated cisplatin kinetics as a tool to study the RNA-aminoglycoside interactions, and also provides insight into aminoglycoside resistance caused by cisplatin.

RNA-aminoglycoside interactions probed through platination kinetics

251st National Meeting (2016)

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