Eg5 Inhibitor III, Dimethylenastron is a cell-permeable quinazoline-thione compound that acts as a strong, specific, and reversible inhibitor of the microtubule-stimulated ATPase activity of the mitotic motor, Eg5. Eg5 Inhibitor III, Dimethylenastron shows little effect on the ATPase activity of kinesin-1, -4, -7 and -10. The compound also inhibits bipolar spindle formation in both HeLa cells and in Xenopus egg extracts and induces cell cycle arrest (~1 μM). Eg5 Inhibitor III, Dimethylenastron is shown to induce mitotic arrest, apoptosis and upregulate Hsp70 in human multiple myeloma cells.
