Drugs

Question 1

cisplatin

Answer 1

cancer drug: can alkylate DNA, cause so many mutations that the cell has to be killed.

Note: many chemotheraputic agents interfere with DNA synthesis in cancer cell

Question 2

actinomycin D

Answer 2

antibiotic, inserts itself into DNA, interacts with backbone and grooves of DNA, disrupts the structure, by intercalating into the DNA stacking and messes up stacking. Particularly affects txn.

Question 3

puromycin

Answer 3

mimics tRNA acceptor region. it binds to ribosome as it’s elongating, and react with growing peptide chain to terminate tln. (an enzyme can chemically modify and acetylate the amino position at the end of the puromycin molecule that attaches to the growing peptide chain to inactivate the puromycin)

Question 4

rifampicin

Answer 4

It targets prokaryotic RNA synthesis specifically. used against TB, but now the use is regulated because there are strains that are resistant against rifampicin. it binds in the RNA exit channel of prokaryotic RNA polymerase and blocks chain elongation.