Brefeldin A inhibits protein synthesis through the phosphorylation of the alpha-subunit of eukaryotic initiation factor-2.

Brefeldin A is a fungal metabolite which disrupts protein traffic through the Golgi apparatus and thereby inhibits protein secretion. Recently, it has been shown that Brefeldin A also causes a marked decrease in the rate of protein synthesis in cells in culture [1992, FEBS Lett. 314, 371-374]. We show here that treatment of rat GH3 pituitary cells with Brefeldin A leads to an inhibition of protein synthesis at the level of peptide-chain initiation through a mechanism involving the phosphorylation of the alpha-subunit of eukaryotic initiation factor-2 (eIF-2 alpha).