Patulin

Patulin, a mycotoxin, has been reported to contain antibiotic characteristics. This compound displays the ability to specifically inhibit Na⁺-K⁺ ATPase. In murine studies, Patulin was found to inhibit protein prenylation in cells. Mechanistic studies suggest that Patulin reduces incorporation of mevalonate into proteins and prevents protein transferase action, which is required for protein prenylation. Additional experiments show that this mycotoxin also inhibits cell-free microtubule polymerization by covalently reacting with thiol groups of microtubule proteins.