Nourseothricin Sulfate, also known as Streptothricin, is a natural, broad-spectrum antibiotic derived from Streptomyces species. It is used as a selective agent in molecular biology, genetics, microbiology, and cell culture. It inhibits protein synthesis in bacterial and eukaryotic cells, enabling selection of transformed cells that express the NAT resistance gene. These cells produce Nourseothricin acetyltransferase, which inactivates the antibiotic. Nourseothricin is commonly used in gene expression studies, plasmid maintenance, and to eliminate bacterial or fungal contaminants from cultures, ensuring purity and stability of resistant strains.
