Actinomycin D

Cyclopeptide antibiotic and intercalating transcription inhibitor with anti-neoplastic activity. Potent inhibitor of RNA polymerase [1]. Induces apoptosis in a variety of cancer cell lines [2,3] via the intrinsic pathway [4]. Upregulates proapoptotic PUMA and downregulates Bcl-2 mRNA in peripheral blood lymphocytes [5].

References:

1) Wagner et al.(2013) RNA Polymerase II acts as an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase to extend and destablize a non-coding RNA ; EMBO J. 32 781

2) J. Kleeff et al. (2000) Actinomycin D induces apoptosis and inhibits growth of pancreatic cancer cells; Int. J. Cancer, 86 399

3) Kasim et al. (2013) Live fluorescence and transmission-through-dye microscopic study of actinomycin D-induced apoptosis and apoptotic volume decrease ; Apoptosis, 18 521

4) Liu et al. (2016) Actinomycin D enhances killing of cancer cells by immunotoxin RG7787 through activation of the extrinsic pathway of apoptosis; Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 113 10666

5) Kalousec et al. (2007) Actinomycin D upregulates proapoptotic protein Puma and downregulates Bcl-2 mRNA in normal peripheral blood lymphocytes; Anticancer Drugs, 18 763