What is actinomycin?
Actinomycin is an antibiotic obtained from the types of Streptomyces , fibrous soil bacteria known for the production of a number of natural products. This compound inhibits DNA transcription to RNA, causing cell death. The ability to cause cellular suicide has made actinomycin D a drug for early chemotherapy. This compound is highly toxic to normal cells, so it is used only in some specialized cancer types. The alternative name of the drug is dactinomycin. These soil bacteria are known for the production of antibiotics and other natural products. The competition between microorganisms in the soil is hard and the production of compounds that kill other organisms helps to survive. This unusual group of amino acids is very different for other organisms to degrade. It also includes d amino acid in each of the cyclic peptide rings. Amino acids are usually found in the configuration of L. The use of such atypical biochemical attributes contributes to the success of this actinomycete in the soil.
Aktinomycin isolation in 1940 won the Nobel Prize for Selman Waksman. Studies of the mechanism of the effect of this antibiotic showed that it was a binding to a two -thirds DNA and stopping the transcription of this DNA to RNA. By being bound by actinomycin, he inhibited RNA polymerase from moving forward. This activity caused cells to commit suicide, a process known as apoptosis.
The ability to cause apoptosis is a valuable feature. Cancer cells spread much faster than cells in neighboring, normal tissue because they have lost control and not so much apoptosis. Dr.ugs, which cause apoptosis, have the potential as treatment of cancer. The drug that is injected intravenously and circulated in the blood to kill cancer cells is known as anti-neoplastic agent-chemotherapy.
Actinomycin D has been used as chemotherapy for many years. The power of this class of drugs is their specificity in killingthe cells that are divided. As a result, it is more likely to kill cancer cells rather than non -non -ranking cells. However, the compound is highly toxic to normal cells. The drug is very carefully monitored when used.
In addition to using cancer and as an antibiotic, the ability of actinomycin bind DNA has made this compound useful for studies in biochemistry and cell biology. It is used to inhibit RNA synthesis. A fluorescent derivative can also be created, known as 7-aminoactinomycin D. It is a valuable brand of species of the cell has died or not.