Description
TPEN (16858-02-9) is a cell permeable metal chelator. Frequently used to study effects of zinc depletion on cellular processes.1,2
Chemical Properties
Colourless Crystals
Uses
Membrane-permeable zinc chelator; decreased the intracellular level of zinc and induced apoptosis.
Definition
ChEBI: An N-substituted diamine that is ethylenediamine in which the four amino hydrogens are replaced by 2-pyridylmethyl groups.
reaction suitability
reagent type: chelator
Biochem/physiol Actions
N,N,N′,N′-Tetrakis(2-pyridylmethyl)ethylenediamine (TPEN) elicits pro-apoptotic effect in human acute promyelocytic NB4 cells by inhibiting nitric oxide signalling and Zn2+ signaling. In microglia pretreated with zinc, TPEN inhibits the interleukin 6 secretion and nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNA expression. It induces damage on DNA structure by activating ATM (ataxia telangiectasia mutated) and ATR (ATM-Rad3-related) signaling in human colon cancer cells.
References
[1] FABRICE CHIMIENTI . Role of cellular zinc in programmed cell death: temporal relationship between zinc depletion, activation of caspases, and cleavage of Sp family transcription factors1[J]. Biochemical pharmacology, 2001, 62 1: Pages 51-62. DOI:
10.1016/s0006-2952(01)00624-4[2] CATHERINE MÉPLAN Pierre H Marie Jeanne Richard. Metalloregulation of the tumor suppressor protein p53: zinc mediates the renaturation of p53 after exposure to metal chelators in vitro and in intact cells[J]. Oncogene, 2000, 19 46: 5227-5236. DOI:
10.1038/sj.onc.1203907
