Polyamines in the Synthesis of Bacteriophage Deoxyribonucleic Acid. I. Lack of Dependence of Polyamine Synthesis on Bacteriophage Deoxyribonucleic Acid Synthesis

To determine whether polyamine synthesis is dependent on deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) synthesis, polyamine levels were estimated after infection of bacterial cells with ultraviolet-irradiated T4 or T4 am N 122, a DNA-negative mutant. Although phage DNA accumulation was restricted to various degrees in comparison to cells infected with T4D, nearly commensurate levels of putrescine and spermidine synthesis were observed after infection, regardless of the rate of phage DNA synthesis. We conclude from these data that polyamine synthesis after infection is independent of phage DNA synthesis.     

Influence of the growth rate on the macromolecular composition of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus in carbon-limited chemostat culture

Abstract Infectious phage particles can be formed in vitro when extracts of T1-infected cells are incubated with T1 DNA. The DNA packaging system is based on mixtures of complementing extracts from Escherichia coli sup⁰ cells infected with the amber mutants am 4 (gene 16) or am 10 (gene 13). Gene 16 mutants are defective in the formation of DNA-filled heads but make proheads; gene 13 mutants are defective in prohead formation. Three forms of DNA have been packaged: (1) endogenous concatemeric DNA present in mixtures of am 4 and am 10 mutant extracts; (2) concatemeric DNA; (3) virion DNA both when supplied exogenously to mixtures of am 4 · am 20 and am 10 · am 20 double mutant extracts ( am 20 inhibits T1 DNA synthesis). The reaction requires added ATP, Mg²⁺ and spermidine for optimum efficiency and produces about 1.5 × 10³ pfu/ μ g and about 1 × 10⁴ pfu/ μ g for exogenous concatemeric and virion DNA, respectively.     

Excretion of putrescine and spermidine by the protein encoded by YKL174c (TPO5) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The properties of the protein encoded by YKL174c (TPO5) were studied. It was found that TPO5 excretes putrescine effectively and spermidine less effectively. Gamma-aminobutyric acid slightly inhibited the excretion of putrescine, but basic amino acids did not affect excretion, suggesting that TPO5 preferentially recognizes polyamines. Accordingly, yeast cells transformed with the plasmid encoding YKL174c (TPO5) were resistant to toxicity caused by 120 mm putrescine or by 3 mm spermidine, and a mutant with a disrupted YKL174c (TPO5) gene was sensitive to toxicity by 90 mm putrescine. The growth of this mutant was faster than that of the wild-type strain. In parallel, there was an increase in putrescine and spermidine content of the YKL174c (TPO5) mutant compared with wild-type. It is noted that TPO5 functions as a suppressor of cell growth by excreting polyamines. The level of YKL174c (TPO5) mRNA was increased by the addition of polyamines to the medium. The degree of induction of the mRNA was spermine > spermidine > putrescine. The subcellular localization of TPO5 was determined by immunostaining of hemagglutinin-tagged TPO5, and it was found on Golgi or post-Golgi secretory vesicles. Excretion of putrescine and spermidine by TPO5 was reduced in cells that have mutations in the secretory or endocytic pathways, indicating that both processes are involved in the excretion of polyamines.     

Polyamines in the Synthesis of Bacteriophage Deoxyribonucleic Acid II. Requirement for Polyamines in T4 Infection of a Polyamine Auxotroph

Polyamine depletion produced by exogenous arginine in Escherichia coliK-12 cultures defective in agmatine ureohydrolase activity resulted in a marked inhibition of the rates of growth and nucleic acid synthesis. Addition of putrescine or spermidine to such depleted cultures restored the control rate of growth and nucleic acid accumulation. The omission of lysine resulted in a further decrease in the rates of growth and nucleic acid synthesis in polyamine-depleted cells. The addition of exogenous cadaverine increased the rates of growth and ribonucleic acid synthesis to those observed in lysine-supplemented cultures, suggesting that lysine or a derivative of lysine serves a function similar to cadaverine. Addition of lysine to polyamine-depleted cultures at neutral pH results in the synthesis of cadaverine and a new spermidine analogue, both containing lysine carbon. This new metabolite has been isolated and identified as N-3-aminopropyl-1, 5-diaminopentane. T4D infection of the polyamine-depleted mutant resulted in a very low rate of DNA synthesis and phage maturation. The addition of putrescine or spermidine 15 min before infection restored phage DNA synthesis and phage maturation to control rates, i.e., rates observed in infected cells grown in the absence of arginine.     

Spermidine N1-acetyltransferase has a larger role than ornithine decarboxylase in 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3-induced putrescine synthesis

We have reported that a single injection of 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1 alpha,25(OH)2D3), the active form of vitamin D3, into vitamin D-deficient chicks produces a marked increase in the formation of duodenal putrescine by two pathways, one from ornithine and one from spermidine (Shinki, T., Takahashi, N., Kadofuku, T., Sato, T., and Suda, T. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 2185-2190). In this work, the conversion of [3H]ornithine into [3H]putrescine catalyzed by ornithine decarboxylase was compared with the conversion of [14C]spermidine into [14C]putrescine catalyzed by spermidine N1-acetyltransferase and polyamine oxidase. Using the in situ duodenal loop method in the presence or absence of alpha-difluoromethylornithine, we evaluated the relative contributions of these two pathways in the 1 alpha,25(OH)2D3-induced duodenal synthesis of putrescine. Prior administration of alpha-difluoromethylornithine inhibited neither the 1 alpha,25(OH)2D3-induced increase in duodenal spermidine N1-acetyltransferase activity nor the vitamin-induced enhancement of the duodenal putrescine content, although it completely suppressed the duodenal ornithine decarboxylase activity induced by 1 alpha,25(OH)2D3. The duodenal content of spermidine decreased time-dependently after injection of 1 alpha,25(OH)2D3. The increase of duodenal putrescine by 1 alpha,25(OH)2D3 coincided quantitatively with the amount of putrescine synthesized from spermidine but not from ornithine after injection of the vitamin. These unexpected results clearly indicate that spermidine N1-acetyltransferase has a larger role than ornithine decarboxylase in the increase of duodenal putrescine synthesis induced by 1 alpha,25(OH)2D3. The polyamine metabolism reported here may be related to the characteristics of intestinal epithelial cells such as the short lifetime (90-108 h) and typical gradient of differentiation from the crypt to villus regions.     

Regulation of polyamine synthesis in relation to putrescine and spermidine pools in Neurospora crassa.

Polyamine pools were measured under various conditions of high and low concentrations of cytosolic ornithine with the wild-type and mutant strains of Neurospora crassa. In minimal medium, the wild-type strain has 1 to 2 nmol of putrescine and approximately 14 nmol of spermidine per mg (dry weight); no spermine is found in N. crassa. Exogenous ornithine was found to cause a rapid, but quickly damped, increase in the rate of polyamine synthesis. This effect was greater in a mutant (ota) unable to catabolize ornithine. No turnover of polyamines was detected during exponential growth. Exogenous spermidine was not taken up efficiently by N. crassa; thus, the compound could not be used directly in studies of regulation. However, by nutritional manipulation of a mutant strain, aga, lacking arginase, cultures were starved for ornithine and thus ultimately for putrescine and spermidine. During ornithine starvation, the remaining putrescine pool was not converted to spermidine. The pattern of polyamine synthesis after restoration of ornithine to the polyamine-deprived aga strain indicated that, in vivo, spermidine regulates polyamine synthesis at the ornithine decarboxylase reaction. The results suggest that the regulatory process is a form of negative control which becomes highly effective when spermidine exceeds its normal level. The possible relationship between the regulation of polyamine synthesis and the ratio of free to bound spermidine is discussed.     

Cloning and physical characterization of chromosomal conjugative elements in streptococci.

A transport system for polyamines was studied with both intact cells and membrane vesicles of an Escherichia coli polyamine-deficient mutant. Polyamine uptake by intact cells and membrane vesicles was inhibited by various protonophores, and polyamines accumulated in membrane vesicles when D-lactate was added as an energy source or when a membrane potential was imposed artificially by the addition of valinomycin to K+-loaded vesicles. These results show that the uptake was dependent on proton motive force. Transported [14C]putrescine and [14C]spermidine were not excreted by intact cells upon the addition either of carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone, A23187, and Ca2+ or of an excess amount of nonlabeled polyamine. However, they were excreted by membrane vesicles, although the degree of spermidine efflux was much lower than that of putrescine efflux. These results suggest that the apparent unidirectionality in intact cells has arisen from polyamine binding to nucleic acids, thus giving rise to a negligible free intracellular concentration of polyamines. Polyamine uptake, especially putrescine uptake, was inhibited strongly by monovalent cations. The Mg2+ ion inhibited spermidine and spermine uptake but not putrescine uptake.     

Regulation of spermidine/spermine N1-acetyltransferase in L6 cells by polyamines and related compounds.

Exposure of rat L6 cells in culture to exogenous polyamines led to a very large increase in the activity of spermidine/spermine N1-acetyltransferase. Spermine was more potent than spermidine in bringing about this increase, but in both cases the elevated acetyltransferase activity increased the cellular conversion of spermidine into putrescine. The N1-acetyltransferase turned over very rapidly in the L6 cells, with a half-life of 9 min after spermidine and 18 min after spermine. A wide variety of synthetic polyamine analogues also brought about a substantial induction of spermidine/spermine N1-acetyltransferase activity. These included sym-norspermidine, sym-norspermine, sym-homospermidine, N4-substituted spermidine derivatives, 1,3,6-triaminohexane, 1,4,7-triaminoheptane and deoxyspergualin, which were comparable with spermidine in their potency, and N1N8-bis(ethyl)spermidine, N1N9-bis(ethyl)homospermidine, methylglyoxal bis(guanylhydrazone), ethylglyoxal bis(guanylhydrazone) and 1,1'-[(methylethanediylidene)dinitrilo]bis(3-amino-guanidine ), which were even more active than spermidine. It is suggested that these polyamine analogues may bring about a decrease in cellular polyamines not only by inhibiting biosynthesis but by stimulating the degradation of spermidine into putrescine.     

Polyamine depletion enhances the roscovitine-induced apoptosis through the activation of mitochondria in HCT116 colon carcinoma cells

Small molecule inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) show high therapeutic potential in various cancer types which are characterized by the accumulation of transformed cells due to impaired apoptotic machinery. Roscovitine, a CDK inhibitor showed to be a potent apoptotic inducer in several cancer cells. Polyamines, putrescine, spermidine and spermine, are biogenic amines involved in many cellular processes, including apoptosis. In this study, we explored the potential role of polyamines in roscovitine-induced apoptosis in HCT116 colon cancer cells. Roscovitine induced apoptosis by activating mitochondrial pathway caspases and modulating the expression of Bcl-2 family members. Depletion of polyamines by treatment with difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) increased roscovitine-induced apoptosis. Transient silencing of ornithine decarboxylase, polyamine biosynthesis enzyme and special target of DFMO also increased roscovitine-induced apoptosis in HCT116 cells. Interestingly, additional putrescine treatment was found pro-apoptotic due to the presence of non-functional ornithine decarboxylase (ODC). Finally, roscovitine altered polyamine catabolic pathway and led to decrease in putrescine and spermidine levels. Therefore, the metabolic regulation of polyamines may dictate the power of roscovitine induced apoptotic responses in HCT116 colon cancer cells.     

Evidence for the existence of distinct transporters for the polyamines putrescine and spermidine in B16 melanoma cells

The uptake of intracellular putrescine and spermidine was examined in B16 melanoma cells. It was found that difluoromethylornithine preferentially induced putrescine transport (28-fold) compared to that for spermidine (3.5-fold). Putrescine uptake was partially Na+ dependent, whereas spermidine uptake was not. Inhibition studies with the two polyamines showed that putrescine was a poor competitive inhibitor of spermidine uptake, exhibiting a Ki of 69-75 microM, whereas the estimated Km for putrescine uptake was only 5.36 microM. By contrast, spermidine inhibition of putrescine transport produced a non-linear Eadie-Scatchard plot suggesting that putrescine was taken up by a spermidine-sensitive and a spermidine-insensitive process. The estimated spermidine Ki for inhibition of the spermidine-sensitive process was 0.125 microM. Using a series of polypyridinium quaternary salts to inhibit transport, no correlation between inhibition of putrescine uptake and inhibition of spermidine uptake was seen. Finally, the photoaffinity label, 1,12-di(N5-azido-2-nitrobenzoyl)spermine selectively inactivated the putrescine transporter(s) without affecting spermidine uptake. From these observations, it was concluded that multiple polyamine transporters are present on B16 melanoma cells and that separate, distinct transporter(s) account for the uptake of putrescine and spermidine in this cell-line following induction with difluoromethylornithine. The present of different transporters for the two polyamines indicates that expression of uptake activity for putrescine and spermidine may be under separate cellular control.     

Polyamines protect against DNA strand breaks and aid cell survival against irradiation in Escherichia coli

Polyamines protected plasmid DNA strand breaks in vitro and aided the cell survival against irradiation in polyamine-deficient Escherichia coli mutant strain. DNA strand breaks were prevented 4–6 fold more by spermidine and spermine than by putrescine and cadaverine in the dithiothreitol/Fe(III)/O2 system. After UV-irradiation, the protection of DNA strand breaks by spermine and spermidine was twice as effective as that by putrescine and cadaverine. Survivability of polyamine-deficient Escherichia coli mutant cells grown in the medium containing putrescine and spermidine was 2.4- and 3.0-fold as high as in polyamine-depleted medium at a dose of 60 and 40 J/m2. After -irradiation to a dose of 80 Gy, cell survivals of a mutant strain were significantly increased to 7.7- and 23.8-fold by putrescine and spermidine, respectively. These results implicate the possibility that polyamines play a potent role in the protection of DNA or cell damage by radiation. © Rapid Science Ltd. 1998     

Regulatory mutations affecting ornithine decarboxylase activity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

We isolated several strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae containing mutations mapping at a single chromosomal gene (spe10); these strains are defective in the decarboxylation of L-ornithine to form putrescine and consequently do not synthesize spermidine and spermine. The growth of one of these mutants was completely eliminated in a polyamine-deficient medium; the growth rate was restored to normal if putrescine, spermidine, or spermine was added. spe10 is not linked to spe2 (adenosylmethionine decarboxylase) or spe3 (putrescine aminopropyltransferase [spermidine synthease]). spe 10 is probably a regulatory gene rather than the structural gene for ornithine decarboxylase, since we isolated two different mutations which bypassed spe10 mutants; these were spe4, an unliked recessive mutation, and spe40, a dominant mutation linked to spe10. Both spe4 and spe40 mutants exhibited a deficiency of spermidine aminopropyltransferase (spermine synthase), but not of putrescine aminopropyltransferase. This suggests that ornithine decarboxylase activity is negatively controlled by the presence of spermidine aminopropyltransferase.     

Uptake of GABA and putrescine by UGA4 on the vacuolar membrane in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The product of the UGA4 gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which catalyzes the transport of 4-aminobutyric acid (GABA), also catalyzed the transport of putrescine. The Km values for GABA and putrescine were 0.11 and 0.69 mM, respectively. The UGA4 protein was located on the vacuolar membrane as determined by the effects of bafilomycin A1 and by indirect immunofluorescence microscopy. Uptake of both GABA and putrescine was inhibited by spermidine and spermine, although these polyamines are not substrates of UGA4. The UGA4 mRNA was induced by exposure to GABA, but not putrescine over 12h. The growth of an ornithine decarboxylase-deficient strain was enhanced by putrescine, and both putrescine and spermidine contents increased, when the cells were expressing UGA4. The results suggest that a substantial conversion of putrescine to spermidine occurs in the cytoplasm even though UGA4 transporter exists on vacuolar membranes.     

Regulation by polyamines of ornithine decarboxylase activity and cell division in the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

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 two polyamines. In synchronized C. reinhardtii cultures, transition to the cell division phase was preceded by a 4-fold increase in ODC activity and a 10- and a 20-fold increase, respectively, in the putrescine and spermidine levels. Spermine, however, could not be detected in C. reinhardtii cells. Exogenous polyamines caused a decrease in ODC activity. Addition of spermine, but not of spermidine or putrescine, abolished the transition to the cell division phase when applied 7 to 8 h after beginning of the light (growth) phase. Most of the cells had already doubled their cell mass after this growth period. The spermine-induced cell cycle arrest could be overcome by subsequent addition of spermidine or putrescine. The conclusion that spermine affects cell division via a decreased spermidine level was corroborated by the findings that spermine caused a decrease in the putrescine and spermidine levels and that cell divisions also could be prevented by inhibitors of S-adenosyl-methionine decarboxylase and spermidine synthase, respectively, added 8 h after beginning of the growth period. Because protein synthesis was not decreased by addition of spermine under our experimental conditions, we conclude that spermidine affects the transition to the cell division phase directly rather than via protein biosynthesis.     

Increased uptake of putrescine in the rhizosphere inhibits competitive root colonization by Pseudomonas fluorescens strain WCS365

Sequence analysis of the chromosomal Tn5lacZ flanking regions of the Pseudomonas fluorescens WCS365 competitive root colonization mutant PCL1206 showed that the Tn5lacZ is inserted between genes homologous to bioA and potF. The latter gene is the first gene of the potF1F2GHI operon, which codes for a putrescine transport system in Escherichia coli. The position of the Tn5lacZ suggests an effect on the expression of the pot operon. A mutation in the potF1 gene as constructed in PCL1270, however, had no effect on competitive root colonization. The rate of uptake of [1,4-14C]putrescine by cells of mutant PCL1206 appeared to be increased, whereas cells of strain PCL1270 were strongly impaired in the uptake of putrescine. Dansylation of tomato root exudate and subsequent thin-layer chromatography showed the presence of a component with the same Rf value as dansyl-putrescine, which was identified as dansyl-putrescine by mass spectrometric analyses. Other polyamines such as spermine and spermidine were not detected in the root exudate. Growth of mutant strains, either alone or in competition with the wild type, was tested in media containing putrescine, spermine, or spermidine as the sole nitrogen source. The results show that mutant PCL1206 is strongly impaired in growth on putrescine and slightly impaired on spermine and spermidine. The presence of the polyamines had a similar effect on the growth rate of strain PCL1270 in the presence of putrescine but a less severe effect in the presence of spermine and spermidine. We conclude that an increased rate of putrescine uptake has a bacteriostatic effect on Pseudomonas spp. cells. We have shown that putrescine is an important tomato root exudate component and that root-colonizing pseudomonads must carefully regulate their rate of uptake because increased uptake causes a decreased growth rate and, therefore, a decreased competitive colonization ability.     

Relationship between heat sensitivity and polyamine levels after treatment with alpha-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO)

Alpha-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), an irreversible inhibitor of ornithine decarboxylase, was used to study the effect of polyamine depletion on delayed heat sensitization in Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO). The cells were treated with 1 or 10 mM DFMO for 8 or 48 h and then given a single heat treatment (43 degrees C, 90 min) at intervals up to 150 h after DFMO addition. Cellular survival, DNA polymerase activity, and polyamine levels were measured. Delayed heat sensitization for cell lethality began 50-55 h (about two cell divisions) after addition of 10 or 1 mM of DFMO for 8 or 48 h, respectively; i.e., cell survival of heated control cells was about 10(-1), but decreased to 10(-4)-10(-5) in heated DFMO-treated cells by 100 h. During this same interval, delayed heat sensitization also was observed for loss of DNA polymerase beta activity (from 20% in cells heated without DFMO treatment to 7% in heated DFMO-treated cells), but none was observed for DNA polymerase alpha activity. Delayed heat sensitization disappeared at 120-130 h after DFMO addition, with survival of heated DFMO-treated cells returning to that for heated control cells. The onset of delayed heat sensitization occurred 30-40 h after intracellular levels of putrescine and spermidine were depleted by more than 95%; however, spermine levels were not lowered, and in some cases even increased. Levels of putrescine and spermidine increased 5-10 h before delayed heat sensitization disappeared. While putrescine reached 25% of control, spermidine exceeded control levels during this time. Furthermore, delayed heat sensitization could be reversed by adding 10(-3) M putrescine or 5 X 10(-5) M spermidine 85-95 h after DFMO addition; in both cases spermidine increased 5-10 h before the decrease in heat sensitization. Finally, neither delayed heat sensitization nor depletion of spermidine was observed in nondividing plateau-phase cells treated with DFMO, although putrescine was depleted. These results lead to the hypothesis that DFMO-induced heat sensitization which occurs after inhibition of the synthesis of putrescine is secondary to the depletion of spermidine in some critical compartment of the cell or to a biochemical alteration. This depletion or biochemical alteration apparently occurs as the cells divide about two times after the intracellular levels of soluble spermidine have been depleted.     

Polyamines in representative taxa of coryneform and other bacteria

The composition of polyamines is studied for the first time in representatives of the genus Micrococcus and taxon "conglomeratus", strains Staphylococcus aureus CCM 209, Deinococcus erythromyxa CCM 706 as well as of Erwinia carotovora ATCC 15713 polyamines, which are not extracted by perchloric acid. Considerable amounts of spermine and rarely of spermidine are revealed in cells of Gram positive microorganisms, that differs them from Gram negative bacteria possessing high concentrations of putrescine, spermidine and their derivatives. A procedure is developed for detection of polyamines in cells of Gram positive microorganisms. It is recommended to use the hydrolysis of their cells by 6N HCl for 4 at 120 degrees C or for 8-10h at 100 degrees C with the subsequent electrophoretic separation. Putrescine, as well as comparable with it amount of agmatine and spermidine traces are found in Erwinia carotovora ATCC 15713 cell hydrolyzates, whereas putrescine and agmatine traces are found in perchloric extracts of intact cells. Spermine is not observed in the cells. The binding of polyamines with biopolymers of cells of Gram positive bacteria and their difference by the given character from the Gram negative procaryotes are under discussion.     

Retarded growth of an Escherichia coli mutant deficient in spermidine synthase can be unspecifically repaired by addition of various polyamines

The Escherichia coli mutant speE deficient in the gene encoding for spermidine synthase has no absolute requirement for spermidine but shows a retarded growth rate. This growth retardation could be unspecifically restored to the respective wild type level by exogenously supplied polyamines such as spermidine, spermine and homospermidine as well as the diamines putrescine and cadaverine. In comparison to the respective wild type, the mutant shows a two-fold increased level of endogenous putrescine but displays a reduced ability to accumulate the diamines putrescine and cadaverine. The ability to accumulate polyamines is not affected. The deleted spermidine synthase gene of the mutant was substituted by heterologous expression of the hss gene from Rhodopseudomonas viridis encoding homospermidine synthase.