Investigation of the biological mode of action of clerocidin using whole cell assays Original Research Article

The effect of clerocidin on the growth of HeLa cells was examined. Our results suggest that this compound binds to topoisomerase II prior to formation of cleavable complex with DNA and exhibits its lethal action by inducing cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase, ultimately leading to apoptosis. Furthermore, clerocidin was found not to affect transcription, translation and the secretory ability of cells until the onset of apoptosis, attesting to the specific antimitotic profile of this drug.