Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
5986
pubmed:dateCreated
1984-11-16
pubmed:abstractText
The antibiotic tunicamycin inhibits the biosynthesis of N-acetylglucosaminylpyrophosphoryl polyisoprenol, a key intermediate in the formation of the asparagine-linked oligosaccharides of glycoproteins. The effects of tunicamycin have been studied in various biological systems, primarily with the aim of elucidating the role of the carbohydrate moieties in the cellular function of glycoproteins. Rhodopsin, the visual pigment of retinal rod photoreceptor cells, is a membrane glycoprotein which consists of a single polypeptide chain (opsin) to which a chromophoric prosthetic group (II-cis-retinaldehyde) and two asparagine-linked oligosaccharide chains are covalently attached. The glycosylation of opsin can be blocked with tunicamycin in vitro in conditions where polypeptide synthesis is only slightly decreased. We have reported that tunicamycin can disrupt the normal assembly of rod outer segment membranes in vitro without significantly inhibiting the biosynthesis or intracellular transport of opsin. Here we report that intraocular injection of tunicamycin produces a photoreceptor-specific degeneration characterized by progressive shortening of rod outer segment, decreased membrane assembly, and eventual photoreceptor cell death.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:issn
0028-0836
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
311
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
575-7
pubmed:dateRevised
2008-11-21
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:articleTitle
Photoreceptor-specific degeneration caused by tunicamycin.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S., Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't