Puromycin Hydrochloride is a commonly misspelled word due to its complicated phonetic transcriptions. The word is pronounced as [pyʊˈɹoʊmaɪsɪn haɪˈdɹoklɔraɪd]. The "P" in Puromycin is pronounced as "py", followed by an "ʊ" sound. The "ro" sound is emphasized with a long "o" sound. The "ma" sound is pronounced as "my" and then the "cin" sound is pronounced with a soft "s" sound. The "Hydrochloride" adds to the complexity of the word with its unique pronunciations, which includes a silent "e" and "cl" sounded as "kl".
Puromycin hydrochloride is a pharmaceutical compound that belongs to the class of aminonucleoside antibiotics. It is derived from Streptomyces alboverticillatus and is widely used in molecular biology research and as an anti-cancer drug.
As an antibiotic, puromycin disrupts protein synthesis by inhibiting the action of ribosomes, which are responsible for the synthesis of proteins in cells. Puromycin mimics the structure of aminoacyl tRNA and competes with aminoacyl tRNA for the acceptor site on the ribosome during protein chain elongation. Once it binds to the ribosome, puromycin induces premature termination of protein synthesis, leading to the production of truncated and non-functional proteins.
Puromycin hydrochloride is commonly utilized in laboratory settings to selectively kill cells that have been transfected with specific genes or vectors. By adding puromycin to the growth media, only cells that carry the gene of interest, along with a selectable marker, can survive and grow. This technique enables researchers to study gene function by selectively eliminating cells that do not express the desired gene or marker.
In medical applications, puromycin hydrochloride has been used as an experimental oncology drug due to its ability to inhibit cancer cell growth. Its mechanism of action targets rapidly dividing cancer cells by suppressing protein synthesis necessary for their survival and proliferation. However, its clinical use as an anti-cancer drug is limited due to its potential toxic effects on healthy cells.
The word "puromycin" is derived from Latin roots. "Puro" is derived from the Latin adjective "purus", meaning "pure" or "clean". "Mycin" is derived from the Greek word "μύκης" (mykes), meaning "fungus". "Mycin" is commonly used as a suffix to indicate a type of antibiotic or antifungal medication.
The term "hydrochloride" indicates that the compound is in the form of a salt, specifically the hydrochloric acid salt, which is commonly used in pharmaceuticals to enhance stability and solubility. The "hydro" prefix refers to hydrogen, while "chloride" refers to the chlorine ion.