Abstract
Lycorine, an alkaloid isolated from bulbs of Amarillidaceae, was found to be a powerful inhibitor of cell division and elongation. Adding different concentrations of lycorine from 10−6 M to 10−4 M in an appropriate growth-medium strongly inhibited cell division in explants of lettuce pith parenchyma. The same result was obtained with liquid yeast cultures growing exponentially. Lycorine-treated meristematic cells of the primary roots of Vicia faba also showed rapid inhibition of the mitotic index while interphase cells increased proportionately. Lycorine also inhibited endogenous and auxin-induced cell elongation in Avena coleoptiles and pea segments. Since both cell division and cell elongation require protein synthesis and RNA synthesis, the assumption is that lycorine probably inhibits one of the two syntheses.
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