Tunicamycin has been widely used in the study of glycoprotein synthesis in various biological systems. During protein glycosylation, tunicamycin is noted to be an inhibitor of the transfer of saccharide moieties to dolichol during dolichol-linked glycoprotein synthesis. Dose-dependent inhibition of DNA synthesis may be related to the alteration of glycoproteins, which thereby affects the transport of thymidine into cells. Additionally, tunicamycin has been reported to prevent cell cycle progression in primary cultures of rat glial cells, as well as inhibit lipid-mediated protein glycosylation in chick or mouse fibroblasts in a dose-dependent manner.

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