Alexa Fluor® 647 Anti-Puromycin antibody [EPR27218-173]

Supplementary info

This supplementary information is collated from multiple sources and compiled automatically.

Activity summary

Puromycin is a well-known antibiotic that acts by disrupting protein synthesis. It mimics the structure of an aminoacyl-tRNA leading to premature termination of the growing polypeptide chain during translation. Puromycin is small with a molecular mass of approximately 471 daltons. It interacts mainly within the cytoplasm where it can incorporate into the peptide chain due to its similarity to the 3' end of the aminoacyl-tRNA. Puromycin does not have a specific expression site like endogenous proteins because it is not naturally occurring in animals; rather it is used experimentally.

Biological function summary

The function of puromycin is to interfere with protein synthesis by targeting ribosomes. It binds to the ribosomal A site leading to the release of incomplete polypeptides. Puromycin is not part of a complex but establishes a strong interaction with ribosomes found in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. This interaction gives it unique utility in experiments that require inhibition of translation such as studies involving protein turnover and synthesis rates.

Pathways

The action of puromycin strongly impacts protein synthesis pathways. It inhibits the elongation stage of the translation pathway by mimicking an aminoacyl-tRNA. Puromycin does not involve complex pathways itself but its effects can influence other proteins involved in translation such as elongation factors and the ribosomal subunits. This makes puromycin useful in basic scientific research to study how cells control protein synthesis.

Associated diseases and disorders

Puromycin's ability to inhibit translation links it to studies on cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. Researchers use puromycin to explore how disrupting protein synthesis can affect cancer cell growth. It serves as a model for understanding toxins that affect similar pathways in neurodegenerative disorders. Through these studies connections have been made between puromycin's action and proteins involved in these diseases such as oncogenes and neuromodulatory proteins which are key to understanding disease progression and developing potential treatments.