title: Polyamine acetylation in rat brain during N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea-induced cerebral carcinogenesis.
abstract: The behavior of cerebral polyamine acetylation was examined in rat brain during N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea-induced carcinogenesis. Before tumor development, treated brains exhibited an enhancement in cytosolic spermidine/spermine N1-acetyl-transferase activity with concomitant accumulation of N1-acetylspermidine and increases in putrescine and spermidine. This indicates a stimulation of the interconversion pathway of polyamines into putrescine, an important molecule for cell growth. Our data also show the presence of a cytosolic spermidine N8-acetyltransferase activity in fetal rat brain, with values similar to those previously observed in gliomas. The detection of cytosolic spermidine N8-acetyltransferase activity in tumors may thus represent the expression of a fetal gene that does not seem to have a particular function during carcinogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Centro di Studio sulla Patologia Cellulare, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sessa
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tunici
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Perin
mesh_terms: D000123:Acetyltransferases / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D002273:Carcinogens / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005038:Ethylnitrosourea / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D008297:Male; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D009374:Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000139:chemically induced*; D011073:Polyamines / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D013997:Time Factors; D000099228:Diamine N-Acetyltransferase
chemical_list: D000123:Acetyltransferases; D002273:Carcinogens; D005038:Ethylnitrosourea; D011073:Polyamines; D000099228:Diamine N-Acetyltransferase