Tunicamycin

Tunicamycin is a mixture of homologous nucleoside antibiotic that inhibits N-linked glycosylation and blocks GlcNAc phosphotransferase (GPT). Tunicamycin causes accumulation of unfolded proteins in cell endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and induces ER stress, and causes blocking of DNA synthesis and cell cycle arrest in G1 phase. Tunicamycin inhibits gram-positive bacteria, yeasts, fungi, and viruses and has anti-cancer activity^[1][2][3].Tunicamycin increases exosome release in cervical cancer cells^[4]. In Vitro:Tunicamycin (2 μg/mL; 24 hours; CD44+/CD24- and original MCF7 cells) treatment increases the spliced XBP-1, ATF6 nuclear translocation level and CHOP protein expression in CD44+/CD24- and original MCF7 cells^[1].
Tunicamycin-induced ER stress suppresses CD44+/CD24- phenotype cell subpopulation and in vitro invasion and accelerates tumorosphore formation. Under effect of Tunicamycin, the results show that inhibited invasion, increased cell death, suppressed proliferation and reduced migration in the CD44+/CD24- and CD44+/CD24- rich MCF7 cell culture^[1]. In Vivo:Tunicamycin (0.1 mg/kg or 0.5 mg/kg) treatment dramatically suppresses tumor growth in the CD133^+/- MHCC97L cells xenograft model (BALB/c (nu/nu) mice)^[2].