Brefeldin A inhibits protein synthesis through the phosphorylation of the α‐subunit of eukaryotic initiation factor‐2

Abstract
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 α‐subunit of eukaryotic initiation factor‐2 (eIF‐2α).