Molar mass 548.63 g/mol Boiling point 777.8 °C | Formula C28H40N2O9 | |
 | ||
Medical vocabulary what does antimycin a mean
Antimycins are a group of secondary metabolites produced by Streptomyces bacteria. It is classified as an extremely hazardous substance in the United States as defined in Section 302 of the U.S. Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (42 U.S.C. 11002), and is subject to strict reporting requirements by facilities which produce, store, or use it in significant quantities.
Contents
Use
Antimycin A is the active ingredient in Fintrol, a chemical piscicide (fish poison) used in fisheries management.
Mechanism of action
Antimycin A binds to the Qi site of cytochrome c reductase, thereby inhibiting the oxidation of ubiquinone in the Qi site thereby disrupting the Q-cycle of enzyme turn over. Cytochrome c reductase is a central enzyme in the electron transport chain of oxidative phosphorylation. The inhibition of this reaction disrupts the formation of the proton gradient across the inner membrane. The production of ATP is subsequently inhibited, as protons are unable to flow through the ATP synthase complex in the absence of a proton gradient. This inhibition also results in the formation of quantities of the toxic free radical superoxide.
It has also been found to inhibit the cyclic electron flow within photosynthetic systems along the proposed ferredoxin quinone reductase pathway.
Fungus-growing attine ants have been shown to use antimycins - produced by symbiotic Streptomyces bacteria - in their fungiculture, to inhibit non-cultivar (i.e. pathogenic) fungi. One research group studying these symbiotic Streptomyces bacteria recently identified the biosynthetic gene cluster for antimycins, which was unknown despite the compounds themselves being identified 60 years ago. Antimycins are synthesised by a hybrid polyketide synthase (PKS)/non-ribosomal peptide synthase (NRPS).