A powerful antibiotic compound that blocks protein production in eukaryotic cells, used in research and as a fungicide.
From cyclohex- (six-membered ring) + imide (a type of chemical group). Discovered in 1945 from the bacterium Streptomyces, named for its ring structure plus the imide functional group.
Cycloheximide is a favorite research tool because it specifically shuts down protein-making in animal and plant cells while leaving bacteria unharmed—it's like a molecular off-switch that lets scientists study exactly what happens when cells stop making proteins.
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