Which Drug Intercalates into DNA and Inhibits Transcription in Both

Question

Which drug intercalates into DNA and inhibits transcription in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes?
A) streptomycin
B) actinomycin D
C) chloramphenicol
D) rifampin
E) tetracycline

Accepted Answer

Actinomycin D is a drug that intercalates into the DNA helix and prevents transcription. It binds preferentially to GC-rich regions of DNA and inhibits both prokaryotic and eukaryotic RNA polymerase. Streptomycin inhibits protein synthesis by binding to the small subunit of prokaryotic ribosomes, chloramphenicol inhibits protein synthesis by binding to the 50S subunit of the bacterial ribosome, rifampin inhibits transcription by binding to bacterial RNA polymerase, and tetracycline inhibits protein synthesis by binding to the 30S subunit of the bacterial ribosome.