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Overview
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Tetracycline, EP is a broad-spectrum, light-sensitive, bactiostatic polyketide antibiotic and first-generation Tetracycline freqnetly used in a wide range of in vitro cell culture applicaitons. Tetracycline (syn. Achromycin) is a first-generation tetracycline antibiotic and was first identified in 1953 by Lloyd Conover’s chemistry team at Pfizer, in collaboration with R.B. Woodward of Harvard University. Tetracycline is a naturally occurring antibiotic from S. aureofaciens, S. rimosus, and S. viridofacien that shows wide-ranging activity against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria.
Tetracycline is a protein synthesis inhibitor. Tetracycline bind the 30s ribosomal subunit, preventing the aminoacyl-tRNA from attaching to the A site. Consequently, protein synthesis is inhibited. Resistance to tetracycline arises from loss of cell wall permeability, tetracycline efflux, ribosome protection and Tetracycline modification.
Tetracycline is used to study transcriptional activation. Knowledge of Tetracycline led to the development of a popular inducible expression system in eukaryotic cells known as Tet-Off and Tet-On. Tetracycline is also used in multidrug resistance studies and in cell culture applications as a selective agent. Additionally, it promotes expression of the P450 proteins.
Tetracycline, EP is sparingly soluble in aqueous solution.
Tetracycline, EP conforms with European Pharmacopeia specifications.Please contact us at for specific academic pricing.
Background
Tetracycline inhibits bacterial growth in Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria by disrupting codon-anticodon interactions at the ribosome, thus blocking protein synthesis. Specifically, tetracycline binds to a single site on the 30S ribosomal subunit and inhibit protein synthesis by blocking the attachment of charged aminoacyl-tRNA to the A site on the ribosome. Thus, they prevent introduction of new amino acids to the nascent peptide chain.
Mammalian cells are not vulnerable to the effect of Tetracycline as these cells contain no 30S ribosomal subunits so do not accumulate the compound. Tetracycline inhibits protein synthesis by preventing amino-acyl tRNA from binding to the “A” site in the bacterial ribosome.
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- Properties
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Overview