NCIt synonyms : Olivomycins; Oligomycin A, mixt. with oligomycin B; Toyomycin R; Olivomycin Antibiotic;
NCIt definition : A preparation containing a mixture of glycosidic antibiotics isolated from Streptomyces
olivoreticuli with fluorescent microscopy applications and potential antineoplastic
activities. Olivomycin preferentially binds to DNA and can be utilized as a fluorescent
marker during the characterization of heterochromatin. Additionally, binding to DNA
inhibits both RNA transcription and RNA elongation by RNA polymerase; therefore protein
synthesis is inhibited. In addition, olivomycin antibiotics are able to induce apoptosis
in tumor cells through a mechanism that has not yet been fully elucidated.;