Distamycin
Distamycin is a polyamide-antibiotic, which acts as a minor groove binder, binding to the small furrow of the Nucleic [acid double helix|double helix].
Properties
Distamycin is a pyrrole-amidine antibiotic and analogous to netropsin and the class of lexitropsins. As opposed to netropsin, distamycin contains three N-methyl-pyrrole units. It is harvested from Streptomyces netropsis that also produces netropsin. Distamycin prefers AT-rich DNA-sequences and tetrades of 4. Distamycin inhibits the transcription and increases the activity of the topoisomerase II.Derivates from distamycin are used as alkylating [antineoplastic agent]s to combat tumours. Derivates with fluorophores are used as fluorescent tags for double-stranded DNA.
The compound is hygroscopic, and sensible to light, freeze and hydrolysis. Its molar attenuation coefficient is 37,000 M−1 cm−1 at a wavelength of 303 nm.