Cayman Tunicamycin Mixture

Tunicamycin mixture is a mixture of tunicamycins with variable trans-2,3-unsaturated branched chain fatty acid (BFCA) chain lengths. Tunicamycins are anti-microbial agents that are active against Gram-positive bacteria, fungi, and viruses.¹ They inhibit the N-acetylhexosamine (HexNAc) phosphotransferase family of enzymes in bacteria and prevent peptidoglycan biosynthesis.² In eukaryotes, they inhibit N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) phosphotransferase (GPT), preventing the first step in N-linked glycosylation and inducing the unfolded protein response and cell death.^2,3,4 The cellular toxicity of tunicamycins is linked to the trans-2,3-unsaturated BCFA, and saturated BCFA-containing tunicamycin derivatives, such as TunR1 (Item No. 31537) and TunR2 (Item No. 31538), have reduced toxicity.^2,5 Tunicamycins impair glycosylation of the receptor tyrosine kinases EGFR, HER2, HER3, and IGF-1R, which prevents their translocation out of the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus and reduces their protein levels and activity.⁶ Tunicamycin sensitizes EGFR inhibitor-resistant U251 glioma and Bx/PC-3 pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells to irradiation.⁶

WARNING This product is not for human or veterinary use.