The Natural Product Butylcycloheptyl Prodiginine Binds Pre-miR-21, Inhibits Dicer-Mediated Processing of Pre-miR-21, and Blocks Cellular Proliferation (Cell Chemical Biology)

Matarlo et al. describe the identification of a natural product using a biophysical screen for small-molecule compounds that bind and modulate the stability of an oncogenic microRNA. The compound, butylcycloheptyl prodiginine, specifically binds to precursor microRNA-21 to inhibit its processing into the mature oncogenic miR-21 and selectively arrest growth of colon cancer cells.