Tetracycline

**Semantic type:** Antibiotic|Organic Chemical|Pharmacologic Substance

**Definition:** A broad-spectrum naphthacene antibiotic produced semisynthetically from chlortetracycline, an antibiotic isolated from the bacterium Streptomyces aureofaciens. In bacteria, tetracycline binds to the 30S ribosomal subunit, interferes with the binding of aminoacyl-tRNA to the mRNA-ribosome complex, thereby inhibiting protein synthesis.

**Synonyms:** - 4-(Dimethylamino)-1,4,4A,5,5A,6,11,12A-Octahydro-3,6,10,12,12A-Pentahydroxy-6-Methyl-1,11-Dioxo-2-Naphthacenecarboxamide - TCN - TETRACYCLINE - tetracycline