The effects of tunicamycin, mevinolin and mevalonic acid on HMG-CoA reductase activity and nuclear division in the myxomycete Physarum polycephalum.

The effects of two inhibitors of 3-hydroxy 3-methyl glutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (tunicamycin and mevinolin) on nuclear division in the myxomycete Physarum polycephalum were examined. Tunicamycin exerted a minor effect on division in synchronized cultures, whereas mevinolin delayed the second, third and fourth nuclear divisions with increasing efficiency. Mevinolin also appeared to be the more potent inhibitor of HMG-CoA reductase, which catalyses the rate-limiting step in the biosynthesis of cholesterol and other isoprene derivatives. These effects of mevinolin could be partially reversed by the addition of mevalonate, suggesting that mevinolin exerts its inhibitory effects on Physarum nuclear division by decreasing the activity of HMG-CoA reductase.