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3D model (JSmol) | |
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Properties | |
C26H51NO10 | |
Molar mass | 537.691 g·mol−1 |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). |
IMCTA-C14 is an N-tetradecyl (C14) derivative of trehalosamine, a bacterial metabolite. It was synthesized as a sugar-based surfactant containing a trehalose substructure from the condensation of 4-trehalosamine and tetradecanal. [1] Its surfactant properties are not very different from those of other sugar-based surfactant with aliphatic chains of similar length. [1] However, IMCTA-C14 shows similar biological activity to trehalose at low concentrations. [1] [2]
For the induction of autophagy in cultured cells, trehalose is required at a high concentration of about 10-100 mM. In contrast, IMCTA-C14 shows similar activity at about 1/3000 of that concentration. [1] To illustrate this, expression of the metabolic clock gene, Period 1, was induced more strongly in cultured hepatocytes at a concentration 1/1000 that of trehalose. [2] The reason for its strong biological activity is thought to be that it has a fatty chain length similar to that of the phospholipids that make up the cell membrane, and a highly basic secondary amine. This gives it a strong affinity for the cell membrane, thereby enhancing its proximity to and effect on the glucose transporter [3] [4] and sweet taste receptor, [5] membrane proteins, the functions of which are modulated by trehalose and other carbohydrates. [1]