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Antibiotics are the chemical that inhibits the growth of various types of pathogenic as well as non-pathogenic microbes by changing their gene expression and thus, inhibiting the processes which are needed for their survival.

In all prokaryotes including E. coli, the Rho factor is responsible for termination of transcription activity. It associates with the RNA polymerases and is included in the Rec A-type of ATPase group of enzymes and uses the nucleotides to couple the oligonucleotide translocation for hydrolytic action of ATP. Antibiotic bicyclomycin specifically acts by allowing the growth of tryptophan auxotroph on indole and coding the genes responsible for production of tryptophanase enzyme. Bicyclomycin targets the Rho factor and is the only known inhibitor of Rho factor. While the Rho factor is responsible for termination and is also an important for expression of various gene products in E. coli.Absence of Rho factor makes the cell unviable and the bacteria is killed.