(3’-[a-Amino-p-methoxyhydrocinnamamido]-3’deoxy-N,N-dimethyladenosine) dihydrochloride; Achromycin; Stillomycin; Stylomycin; Antibiotic CL 13900; Antibiotic 3123L; Antibiotic P638; Bacterenomycin; CL16,536; NSC 3055

Puromycin allows the selection of cells expressing the puromycin-N-acetyl-transferase (pac). The expression of pac gene confers puromycin resistance to transfected cells. Puromycin selection works for gram-positive bacteria and animal cells. Fungi and gram-negative bacteria are resistant due to low permeability of the antiboitic. Puromycin is an aminomucleoside antibiotic produced by Streptomyces alboniger. It is a powerful inhibitor of protein synthesis. It is a structural analog of the 3' end of animoacyl tRNA. When puromycin is added to an in vitro system containing all the necessary machinery for protein synthesis, protein synthesis stops and incomplete peptide chains are released from the ribosomes. Each such chain has puromycin covalently attached to one end.