Uses
Quiniomycin A is a cyclic depsipeptide metabolite. Quinomycin A has broad activity against bacteria, fungi and viruses, and has found application as an antitumour agent. Quinomycin A acts by bifunctional intercalation of nucleic acids. Recent research has shown quinomycin A to be an extremely potent inhibitor of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1). This transcription factor plays an essential role in tumour progression and metastasis.
Uses
Quinomycin A is a cyclic depsipeptide metabolite. Quinomycin A has broad activity against bacteria, fungi and viruses, and has found application as an antitumor agent. Quinomycin A acts by bifunctional intercalation of nucleic acids. Recent research has shown quinomycin A to be an extremely potent inhibitor of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1). This transcription factor plays an essential role in tumor progression and metastasis.
Description
Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) is a transcription factor that controls genes involved in glycolysis, angiogenesis, migration, and invasion. Echinomycin is a cell-permeable inhibitor of HIF-1-mediated gene transcription. It acts by intercalating into DNA in a sequence-specific manner, blocking the binding of either HIF-1α or HIF-1β to the hypoxia-responsive element. Echinomycin reversibly inhibits hypoxia-induced HIF-1 transcription activity in U215 cells with an EC50 value of 1.2 nM. It inhibits hypoxia-induced expression of vascular endothelial growth factor, blocking angiogenesis and altering excitatory synaptic transmission in hippocampal neurons. Echinomycin also impairs expression of survivin, enhancing the sensitivity of multiple myeloma cells to melphalan.
Biochem/physiol Actions
Echinomycin is an antitumor antibiotic and potent hypoxia inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) inhibitor. It binds to DNA via bifunctional intercalation, blocking the binding of HIF-1α, a transcription factor important in tumor growth. Echinomycin selectively eliminated cancer stem cells in a study with mouse lymphoma and human AML xenogeneic models, eradicating the lymphomas. Recently, echinomycin was also found to act as an antibiotic adjuvant having synergistic effects with novobiocin in gram negative bacteria.
References
1) Kong?et al.?(2005),?Echinomycin, a small-molecule inhibitor of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 DNA-binding activity; Cancer Res.,?65?9047
2) Wang?et al. (2014),?Echinomycin protects mice against relapsed acute myeloid leukemia without adverse effect on hematopoietic stem cells; Blood,?124?1127
3) Wang?et al. (2011),?Targeting HIF1α eliminates cancer stem cells in hematological malignancies; Cell Stem Cell.,?8?399
4) Li?et al. (2015),?Hypoxia-inducible factor-1α regulates the expression of L-type voltage-dependent Ca(2+) channels in PC12 cells under hypoxia; Cell Stress Chaperones,?20?507
