Question

Tetracycline has only limited use in treatment because resistance has risen in different groups of bacteria. One mode of resistance is the acquisition of a gene (tetO) by transfer between bacteria. The gene encodes a ribosomal protection protein (RPP). RPPs are similar in sequence to EF-G and EF-Tu.

1) Why would sequence similarity to elongation factors be a benefit in conferring tetracycline resistance?

2) If RPP was exactly like an elongation factor then it would be blocked from entering the ribosome, just like the EFs. Describe an additional potential feature of an RPP that would not be a feature of EFs.