Epiderstatin induces the flat reversion of NRK cells transformed by temperature-sensitive Rous sarcoma virus

Epiderstatin is a unique glutarimide antibiotic which was found by screening for inhibitors of the signal transduction of epidermal growth factor (EGF). The antibiotic (0.01 microM) was found to reverse the morphology of NRK cells that were infected with a temperature-sensitive mutant of Rous sarcoma virus (srcts-NRK) from the transformed phenotype to the normal phenotype at the permissive temperature (32 degrees C). Epiderstatin did not inhibit the protein kinase activity of p60v-src. The cell cycle progression of src(ts)-NRK cells was blocked at G0/G1 phase, which was caused by the inhibition of biosynthesis of p60v-src but not the transcription of v-src mRNA.