A series of diamine homologues of putrescine and triamine homologues of spermidine was used to determine the structural specificity of the polyamine transport system in ascites L1210 leukemia cells by measuring their ability to compete with [3H]-putrescine, [3H]spermidine, or [3H]spermine for uptake. Transport specificity among the diamines (as indicated by K1 constants) was greatest for those ...

Reducing the concentration of polyamines (spermine, spermidine, and putrescine) in the body pool may slow the cancer process. Because dietary spermine, spermidine, and putrescine contribute to the body pool of polyamines, quantifying them in the diet is important. Limited information about polyamine content of food is available, especially for diets in the United States. This brief report descr...

As part of our studies on the regulation of polyamine biosynthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we have investigated the effect of spermidine on the degradation of ornithine decarboxylase in this organism. We have found that in S. cerevisiae, as in other eukaryotic cells, the rate of degradation of ornithine decarboxylase, measured either enzymatically or immunologically, is increased by the ad...

Polyamine uptake, the kinetics of this uptake, and the competition among polyamines and between polyamines and inorganic cations were studied in petals of Saintpaulia ionantha Wendl. Uptake experiments using (14)C-labeled polyamines were carried out on single petals, at room temperaure (20 degrees C) and in the light. The results show that putrescine, spermidine, and spermine uptake was depende...

The relationship between polyamine synthesis, growth and secretion in vivo was examined in ventral prostates from: (a) intact rats aged 3-60 weeks; (b) animals castrated for 7 days before injection with 5r-dihydrotestosterone (17,8-hydroxy-5a-androstan-3-one), testosterone and 5 r-androstane-3,8,17,f-diol for up to 10 days; (c) rats injected with the 3fi,17fidiol immediately after castration. O...

The sensitivity of Escherichia coli to several aminoglycoside antibiotics was examined with E. coli DR112 transformed by the gene for polyamine-induced protein (oligopeptide-binding [OppA] protein) or polyamine transport proteins. The results clearly showed that sensitivity to aminoglycoside antibiotics (gentamicin, isepamicin, kanamycin, neomycin, paromomycin, and streptomycin) increased due t...

Loss of cardiac macroautophagy/autophagy impairs heart function, and evidence accumulates that an increased autophagic flux may protect against cardiovascular disease. We therefore tested the protective capacity of the natural autophagy inducer spermidine in animal models of aging and hypertension, which both represent major risk factors for the development of cardiovascular disease. Dietary sp...

The final steps of spermidine and spermine biosynthesis involve the addition of an aminopropyl group from S-methyladenosylhomocysteamine (decarboxylated S-adenosyl-L -methionine) to putrescine and spermidine respectively 91-33 _ The reactions, forming 5’-methylthioadenosie as a secondary product, are catalyzed by two distinct synthases [4-7]_ Thus far, studies concerning polyamine metabolism ha...

A cytosolic spermidine N-acetyltransferase has been partially purified from livers of rats treated with carbon tetrachloride or thioacetamide. This enzyme formed N’-acetylspermidine when incubated with spermidine and acetyl-coA. The enzyme was also able to acetylate spermine, norspermidine, norspermine and, at a much slower rate, 1,3-diaminopropane. Putrescine, cadaverine, homospermidine, and ...

Polyamines are required for cell growth and cell division in eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms. In the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, biosynthesis of the commonly occurring polyamines (putrescine, spermidine, and spermine) is dependent on the activity of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC, EC 4.1.1.17) catalyzing the formation of putrescine, which is the precursor of the other t...