The full structure of harringtonine has now been established from a study of the
hydrolysis products of this base.
Harringtonine is a natural alkaloid that inhibits protein synthesis at low micromolar concentrations. It immobilizes ribosomes immediately after the initiation of translation. While harringtonine has drawn some interest in mitigating cancer, its homolog homoharrington is more effective, particularly for chronic myelogenous leukemia. The ability of harringtonine to immobilize initiating ribosomes can be used to capture ribosome-protected mRNA fragments for evaluating translation.
A natural product with significant antitumor activities.
specific anti-leukemia drug
ChEBI: Harringtonine is an alkaloid.
Mikolajczak, Powell, Smith, Tetrahedron, 28, 1995 (1972)
Kelly, McKenna, Christenson, Tetrahedron Lett., 35m (1973)
