Spermine is major polyamine in sea urchins: studies of polyamines and their synthesis in developing sea urchins

Development ◽  
1973 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 331-345
Author(s):  
Carol-Ann Manen ◽  
Diane H. Russell

Polyamine synthesis and accumulation was studied in several species of developing sea urchins. Most striking is the presence in the gametes of a large amount of spermine, with low amounts of putrescine and spermidine. This contrasts with the pattern of polyamines present in both micro-organisms and mammals. Micro-organisms contain mainly putrescine and spermidine and adult mammalian tissues usually contain equimolar concentrations of spermidine and spermine. During development (i.e. to gastrulation) there is a large increase in the spermidine concentration with relatively little change in either putrescine or spermine levels. After gastrulation, both spermidine and spermine concentrations are elevated. These new accumulations parallel the new synthesis of rRNA that occurs after gastrulation. Enzyme activity patterns parallel the changes detected in the concentrations of the polyamines with the exception of ornithine decarboxylase activity. This exception may be due to the rapid turnover of putrescine, the precursor for the synthesis of spermidine and spermine.

Development ◽  
1973 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 243-256
Author(s):  
Carol-Ann Manen ◽  
Diane H. Russell

The polyamines, putrescine, spermidine, and spermine, undergo dramatic cyclical variation in both synthesis and accumulation during the early cleavage stages of sea-urchin development. Ornithine decarboxylase activity (putrescine synthesis) in developing Strongylocentrotus purpuratus exhibits maxima at ½ and 2 h after fertilization; increases in ornithine decarboxylase activity appear to correspond to the first and second S phases. Putrescine-stimulated S-adenosyl-l-methionine decarboxylase (spermidine synthesis) and spermidine-stimulated S-adenosyl-l-methionine decarboxylase (spermine synthesis) activities reflect rises during prophase-metaphase of the first and second divisions in two species of sea urchins. Cyclical changes in the concentrations of these three amines were evident also. In general, there were drops in the levels of the amines prior to cleavage. These rapid declines in polyamine concentrations may reflect (1) selective degradation or (2) selective secretion.


1976 ◽  
Vol 231 (5) ◽  
pp. 1557-1561 ◽  
Author(s):  
DV Maudsley ◽  
J Leif ◽  
Y Kobayashi

Ornithine decarboxylase in the small intestine of starved rats was stimulated 3- to 10-fold by refeeding or administration of insulin. A peak is observed 3-5 h following treatment after which the enzyme activity rapidly declines. The rise in ornithine decarboxylase is reduced by actinomycin D or cycloheximide. The increase in enzyme activity occurs mainly in the duodenum and jejunum with less than a twofold change being observed in the ileum. A small (twofold) increase in S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase activity in the small intestine was observed after food, but there was no change in diamine oxidase activity. Whereas pentagastrin and metiamide administration markedly stimulated histidine decarbosylase in the gastric mucosa, no consistent effect of these agents on ornithine decarboxylase in the small intestine was observed. The similarities and differences between histidine decarboxylase and ornithine decarboxylase are discussed.


1976 ◽  
Vol 231 (2) ◽  
pp. 560-564 ◽  
Author(s):  
CA Manen ◽  
B Schmidt-Nielsen ◽  
DH Russell

The effect of methylmercury administration on polyamine synthesis was studied in the liver and kidney of the winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus). A single injection of methylmercury resulted in five- and sevenfold elevations of ornithine decarboxylase activity in the liver and kidney within 15 and 45 h, respectively. There were elevations of both putrescine- and spermidine-stimulated S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase activities (approximately 1.5-fold) in both tissues. Evaluation of the polyamine accumulation patterns in these tissues indicated that in the liver all three polyamines increased in concentration until 48 h and then decline. In the kidney, the concentration of putrescine increased steadily until it was 200% of control at 72 h and then declined. Spermidine concentration decreased throughout the time studied and was 17% of control at 1 wk. There was no significant change in the concentration of spermine throughout the period studied. The changes in the polyamine pools and in the activities of the polyamine biosynthetic enzymes after methylmercury administration are consistent with an involvement of the polyamines in the recovery phase to a toxic dose of methylmercury.


1981 ◽  
Vol 194 (3) ◽  
pp. 975-982 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Lanz ◽  
K Brune

The phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate induces tumour promotion, inflammation, cell proliferation and prostaglandin release. Recent reports suggest that the prostaglandins released by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA) initiate a cascade of events leading to polyamine synthesis and cell proliferation. In experiments designed to test this contention, it was found that addition of TPA (1 microM to 1 nM) to confluent mouse 3T3 fibroblasts successively caused the release of prostaglandins E2 and I2, induction of the enzyme ornithine decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.17), stimulation of [3H]thymidine incorporation into DNA, and cell proliferation. Pretreatment of the cells with the anti-inflammatory steroid dexamethasone (1 microM) or the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug indomethacin (1 microM) inhibited TPA-induced prostaglandin release. However, dexamethasone enhanced the other effects of TPA, whereas indomethacin was ineffective. Addition of prostaglandin E2 to the cultures did not induce ornithine decarboxylase activity and cell proliferation. Pretreatment of the cells with 1,3-diaminopropane (1 mM) or alpha-methylornithine (5 mM), inhibitors of polyamine synthesis, decreased TPA-induced ornithine decarboxylase activity without affecting DNA synthesis. TPA stimulated [3H]thymidine incorporation into DNA, even when the ornithine decarboxylase activity was completely blocked. These data suggest that the proliferative effect of TPA on 3T3 cells is independent of prostaglandin release and polyamine synthesis.


1978 ◽  
Vol 176 (1) ◽  
pp. 143-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
C S Teng ◽  
C T Teng

The activity of ornithine decarboxylase in the differentiating left and right Müllerian ducts was assayed and compared with that in other embryonic organs, i.e. the liver and the brain throughout the stages of development. In general the enzyme activity was high in the early stages and decreased extensively in the late stages of development. Specifically, in the left and righ Müllerian ducts, the enzyme activity was high from day 8 to day 9 of incubation. In the right duct the enzyme activity started to decline on day 9 and then continuously decreased to an almost undetectable value on day 18 of incubation. In the left duct the enzyme activity also decreased slightly from day 9 to day 12; however, it increased from day 13 to day 15 and finally decreased to a constant value from day 18 until hatching. The alteration in enzyme activity in the Müllerian duct as assayed in vitro during development is not due to the effect of the size of the endogenous ornithine pool. When the enzyme activity was subjected to oestrogen stimulation, an increase of 5–10-fold for the left duct and of 5–3-fold for the right duct was observed during the course of development. No such stimulation was observed with the treatment of progesterone. Testosterone consistently caused a 25–30% inhibition of the enzyme activity in the Müllerian duct. Oestrogen slightly stimulated the enzyme activity in the developing liver but inhibited that of the brain. The concentration of the three polyamines measured in the Müllerian duct corresponds to the activity of the enzyme determined.


1977 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 463-471 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. C. JOHNSON ◽  
TATSURO SASHIDA

SUMMARY Pregnant mare serum gonadotrophin given intravenously to immature rats caused a maximal (×70) increase in ornithine decarboxylase activity (ODC) at 3 h; enzyme activity declined to about ten times the control level by 9 h and a second rise began after about 20 h. Anti-PMSG given 30 min after PMSG reduced the peak response by 70%. Actinomycin D, or cycloheximide, completely prevented an increase in ODC when given with PMSG, but only cycloheximide lowered the enzyme activity when given 18 h later. Ovine FSH plus LH also produced a peak in ODC at 3 h but the activity decreased quickly and by 9 h it was at the control level. Secretion of endogenous FSH and LH, induced by hourly injections of LH releasing hormone (LH-RH) increased ODC to the same extent as did the exogenous hormones; ODC was still higher than in the controls 4 h after the last dose of LH-RH. Increased endogenous levels of FSH and LH did not consistently raise ovarian cyclic AMP content and the increases found were much less than those obtained after injection of PMSG or FSH + LH. The results indicate that increased ODC is induced and maintained by the continual presence of gonadotrophin. The dependence of increased ODC upon increased cyclic AMP cannot be unequivocally determined because of important differences in the timing of the responses and the difficulty in determining biologically significant changes in cyclic AMP.


1983 ◽  
Vol 214 (2) ◽  
pp. 293-298 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Sömjen ◽  
I Binderman ◽  
Y Weisman

The effect of cholecalciferol metabolites on ornithine decarboxylase activity and on DNA synthesis in developing long bones was investigated in vitamin D-depleted rats. In the epiphysis there was a 6.4-fold increase in ornithine decarboxylase activity 5 h after a single injection of 24R,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol but not of 24S,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol or other vitamin D metabolites. In comparison, in the diaphysis and duodenum, 1 alpha,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol, but not other vitamin D metabolites, caused a 3-3.5-fold increase in the enzyme activity. The enzyme activity in the tissues examined attained a maximal value at 5 h after the injection of the metabolites. The activity of ornithine decarboxylase in the epiphysial region increased dose-dependently as the result of a single injection of 24R,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol and attained a maximal value at a dose between 30 and 3000 ng. In addition, administration of 24R,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol, but not 24S,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol or other metabolites, caused within 24 h a 1.7-2.0-fold increase in [3H]thymidine incorporation into DNA of the epiphyses of tibial bones. In comparison, 1 alpha,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol caused a 1.5-fold increase in [3H]thymidine incorporation into DNA of the diaphyses and of the duodenum. The present data indicate that 24R,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol is involved in the regulation of epiphyseal growth, whereas 1 alpha,25,dihydroxycholecalciferol stimulates the proliferation of cells in the diaphysis of long bones and in the intestinal mucosa.


1981 ◽  
Vol 195 (3) ◽  
pp. 685-690 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Shinki ◽  
N Takahashi ◽  
C Miyaura ◽  
K Samejima ◽  
Y Nishii ◽  
...  

The effect of cholecalciferol and its metabolites on ornithine decarboxylase activity was investigated in the duodenal mucosa of vitamin D-deficient chicks. The duodenal ornithine decarboxylase activity decreased in animals fed a vitamin D-deficient diet and its retarded activity was increased dose-dependently by a single injection of cholecalciferol. Among various metabolites of cholecalciferol tested, 1 alpha, 25-dihydroxycholecalciferol [ 1 alpha, 25 (OH)2D3] was the most potent stimulator. Stimulation of the enzyme activity was detected as early as 2h after intravenous administration of 1 alpha, 25 (OH)2D3 and a maximal value was attained at 6 h. The maximal value was 27 times higher than the control. In addition, treatment with 1 alpha 25 (OH)2D3 affected the duodenal content of polyamines. The content of putrescine increased to a value of three times that of the control 6 h after the hormone administration. The spermidine content did not change appreciably. The enhancement of duodenal ornithine decarboxylase activity by 1 alpha, 25 (OH)2D3 occurred in parallel with the enhancement of calcium absorption, which was first detected 3 h after the hormone administration. The enhancement appeared to be tissue-specific. It was observed in every intestinal segment, but was highest in the duodenum. Enzyme activity in other tissues was not influenced appreciably by 1 alpha, 25 (OH)2D3. These results clearly indicate that the duodenal biosynthesis of polyamines is regulated by 1 alpha, 25 (OH)2D3, suggesting the possibility that duodenal ornithine decarboxylase may be involved in the calcium absorption mechanism.


1977 ◽  
Vol 162 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
E E K Takyi ◽  
D J M Fuller ◽  
L J Donaldson ◽  
G H Thomas

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 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone (17 beta-hydroxy-5-alpha-androstan-3-one), testosterone and 5 alpha-androstane-3 beta, 17 beta-diol for up to 10 days; (c) rats injected with the 3 beta, 17 beta-diol immediately after castration. Ornithine decarboxylase activity and the concentrations of putrescine, spermidine and spermine were measured. DNA-synthetic activity was monitored by measuring [125I]iododoxyuridine incorporation. An enhanced spermidine/spermine molar ratio reflected increased activity of the prostate. The ratio was higher (greater than 2) in prostates from sexually immature animals, than in the intact adult (1.5), suggesting that the ratio was indicative of the proliferative activity of the tissue. However, in the androgen-stimulated castrated rat, enhanced spermidine/spermine ratios tended to correlate with hypertrophy and secretion. In both sets of experiments there was a linear relationship between protein and spermidine content. High spermidine/spermine molar ratios were the consequence of a relatively low rate of accumulation of spermine relative to spermidine and protein. The relationship between polyamine synthesis and DNA-synthetic activity was investigated in cultured prostate. A combination of insulin (3 mug/ml) and testosterone (0.1 muM caused a stimulatory response in the incorporation of [125I]iododeoxyuridine and in cell division, despite a depleted polyamine content and low ornithine decarboxylase activity in the cultured tissue.


1979 ◽  
Vol 177 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arja Kallio ◽  
Monica Löfman ◽  
Hannu Pösö ◽  
Juhani Jänne

Re!peated injections of 1,3-diaminopropane, a potent inhibitor of mammalian ornithine decarboxylase, induced protein-synthesis-dependent formation of macromolecular inhibitors or ‘antienzymes’ [Heller, Fong & Canellakis (1976) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.73, 1858–1862] to ornithine decarboxylase in normal rat liver. Addition of the macromolecular inhibitors, produced in response to repeated injections of diaminopropane, to active ornithine decarboxylase in vitro resulted in a profound loss of the enzyme activity, which, however, could be partly recovered after passage of the enzyme–inhibitor mixture through a Sephadex G-75 columin in the presence of 0.4m-NaCl. This treatment also resulted in the appearance of free inhibitor. In contrast with the separation of the enzyme and inhibitory activity after combination in vitro, it was not possible to re-activate, by using identical conditions of molecular sieving, any inhibited ornithine decarboxylase from cytosol fractions obtained from animals injected with diaminopropane. However, the idea that injection of various diamines, also in vivo, induces acute formation of macromolecular inhibitors, which reversibly combine with the enzyme, was supported by the finding that the ornithine decarboxylase activity remaining after diaminopropane injection appeared to be more stable to increased ionic strength than the enzyme activity obtained from somatotropin-treated rats. Incubation of the inhibitory cytosol fractions with antiserum to ornithine decarboxylase did not completely abolish the inhibitory action of either the cytosolic inhibitor or the antibody. A single injection of diaminopropane produced an extremely rapid decay of liver ornithine decarboxylase activity (half-life about 12min), which was comparable with, or swifter than, that induced by cycloheximide. However, although after cycloheximide treatment the amount of immunotitrable ornithine decarboxylase decreased only slightly more slowly than the enzyme activity, diaminopropane injection did not decrease the amount of the immunoreactive protein, but, on the contrary, invariably caused a marked increase in the apparent amount of antigen, after some lag period. The diamine-induced increase in the amount of the immunoreactive enzyme protein could be totally prevented by a simultaneous injection of cycloheximide. These results are in accord with the hypothesis that various diamines may result in rapid formation of macromolecular inhibitors to ornithine decarboxylase in vivo, which, after combination with the enzyme, abolish the catalytic activity but at the same time prevent the intracellular degradation of the enzyme protein.


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