hygromycin B

Hygromycin B is an aminoglycoside antibiotic produced by the bacterium Streptomyces hygroscopicus. It is active against bacteria, fungi, and higher eukaryotic cells by inhibiting protein synthesis. The mechanism of action involves binding to the ribosomal subunit (primarily 70S in prokaryotes and 80S in eukaryotes), where it interferes with translocation during protein elongation, causing mistranslation and ultimately halting cell growth. Hygromycin B is widely used as a selection agent in molecular biology for both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells that express the hph resistance gene, which encodes a kinase that phosphorylates and inactivates the antibiotic. In veterinary medicine, it has been used as an anthelmintic (anti-worming) agent under the brand name Hygromix[1][3][4][5][6][8].

Brand names

Hygromix