Cells treated with Ciliobrevin D exhibits abnormal (unfocused, multipolar, or collapsed) spindles with disrupted γ-tubulin localization in NIH-3T3 cells. Similar Ciliobrevin-induced spindle defects are observed in HeLa cells, although to a lesser extent. Ciliobrevin D addition also reversibly disrupts the pre-formed spindles of metaphase-arrested cells and reduces overall microtubule levels.
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Ciliobrevin D reversibly inhibits melanosome aggregation, but the non-cilia-disrupting derivative had no discernible effect at comparable doses. Ciliobrevin D similarly abrogates the movement of peroxisomes in Drosophila S2 cells.