Description

• General description: Chemical structure: nucleoside
• Application: Tunicamycin has been used to study the effect of N-linked glycosylation of human proton-coupled folate transporter (HsPCFT) in HeLa cells[2]. Tunicamycin has also been used to study the functional effects of coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CAR) glycosylation in COS-7 cells[3]. Tunicamycin from Streptomyces sp. has been used to inhibit N-glycosylation in cell culture experiments.
• Biochem/physiol Actions: Blocks the formation of protein N-glycosidic linkages.
• Preparation Note: Tunicamycin dissolves in DMSO at 4.9-5.1 mg/ml and yields a clear to very slightly hazy, colorless to yellow solution. Furthermore, tunicamycin is soluble in DMF (>10 mg/ml), pyridine (>10 mg/ml), water (<5 mg/ml, pH 9.0), dioxane (<1 mg/ml) and THF. However, it is insoluble in other organic solvents such as acetone, chloroform, and ethyl acetate, and in aqueous solutions with pH <6. Aqueous solutions can be prepared from stock solutions by diluting with water at pH 8-10 or with buffers with pH >7, preferably >8. Tunicamycin will not dissolve in phosphate buffer, pH 8, at 1 mg/ml, even with heating, but solubility can be achieved by raising the pH to 9 and back titrating to pH 7-8.