ECHINOMYCIN Meaning and
Definition
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Echinomycin is a noun that refers to a potent, cyclic peptide compound derived from the bacterium Streptomyces lasaliensis. It is primarily utilized as an antibiotic with strong anticancer properties. Echinomycin belongs to the group of natural products known as enediyne antibiotics, which are characterized by their ability to induce DNA cleavage through a unique mode of action.
This compound consists of a polypeptide backbone that forms a tricyclic aromatic core structure. Due to its distinct chemical structure and mechanism of action, echinomycin is widely known for its strong DNA-binding affinity, specifically to sequences containing guanine-cytosine base pairs. This high selectivity makes echinomycin a useful tool for studying DNA structure and function.
In a therapeutic context, echinomycin exhibits potent cytotoxic effects on various cancer cells by intercalating into DNA double helices and disrupting the normal cellular DNA replication and transcription processes. Additionally, it has demonstrated the ability to inhibit the activity of a transcription factor called hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1), which plays a significant role in tumor growth and angiogenesis.
While echinomycin possesses promising anticancer properties, its clinical use is limited due to its high toxicity and potential for causing severe side effects. Nevertheless, researchers continue to study this compound in the hopes of developing more targeted and safer anticancer treatments based on its unique structure and mode of action.
Common Misspellings for ECHINOMYCIN
- wchinomycin
- schinomycin
- dchinomycin
- rchinomycin
- 4chinomycin
- 3chinomycin
- exhinomycin
- evhinomycin
- efhinomycin
- edhinomycin
- ecginomycin
- ecbinomycin
- ecninomycin
- ecjinomycin
- ecuinomycin
- ecyinomycin
- echunomycin
- echjnomycin
- echknomycin
- echonomycin
Etymology of ECHINOMYCIN
The word "Echinomycin" is a compound term, combining two elements: "echino-" and "-mycin".
1. "Echino-" is derived from the Greek word "echinos", meaning "hedgehog". It is often used in scientific terms to refer to something that has spines or prickles, resembling the spiky appearance of a hedgehog.
2. "-Mycin" is a suffix commonly used in the names of antibiotics. It comes from the Latin word "mycinum", which is derived from "Mycineae", the ancient Greek town where the antibiotics streptomycin and neomycin were discovered.
Therefore, the word "Echinomycin" can be interpreted as a compound name, implying a compound with chemical properties similar to antibiotics. The name possibly suggests that the compound has some structural or functional characteristics reminiscent of a hedgehog due to its spiky appearance or action.
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