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.{57424} They inhibit the N-acetylhexosamine (HexNAc) phosphotransferase family of enzymes in bacteria and prevent peptidoglycan biosynthesis.{54399} 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.{54399,57425,57426} 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.{54399,54724} 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.{20913} Tunicamycin sensitizes EGFR inhibitor-resistant U251 glioma and Bx/PC-3 pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells to irradiation.{20913}