Antimycin A4

Antimycin A4 is an active component of the antimycin A antibiotic complex that is more polar than antimycin A1 , antimycin A2 , and antimycin A3 . Antimycin A4 inhibits ATP-citrate lyase with a Ki value of 64.8 µM. The antimycin A complex is a mixture of antimycins A1, A2, A3, and A4 that demonstrates antifungal, insecticidal, nematocidal, and piscicidal properties. It blocks mitochondrial respiration and can deplete cellular levels of ATP via inhibition of complex III of the mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC). Antimycin A prevents the transfer of electrons between the b-cytochromes and ubiquinone at the Q(inner) site of complex III. This results in the stabilization of the ubisemiquinone radical at the Q(outer) site of complex III, leading to increased production of superoxide. Antimycin A is widely used in research to shunt electron flow through the ETC to study the chemical details of oxygen respiration. Additionally, antimycin A has been shown to inhibit Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL proteins, inducing apoptosis.