title: Polyamine metabolism in Acanthamoeba culbertsoni.
abstract: 1,3-Diaminopropane has been identified as the major polyamine of Acanthamoeba culbertsoni. N-acetylputrescine and spermidine were present in appreciable amounts and putrescine as well as N-acetylspermidine were also detected, but spermine was absent. Changes in polyamine levels were observed during the growth of amoebae. Ornithine decarboxylase activity was detected in cell-free extracts but there was very low activity of arginine and lysine decarboxylases. A potent polyamine oxidase was demonstrated which preferentially acted on N8-acetyl-spermidine as the substrate while N1-acetylspermidine was a poor substrate; free polyamines did not serve as a good substrate for this enzyme. Active uptake of polyamines by the amoebae was also demonstrated.
authors.affiliation: Division of Biochemistry, Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow, India.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kishore
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Wittich
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Walter
authors.forename: O P
authors.initials: OP
authors.lastname: Shukla
mesh_terms: D000048:Acanthamoeba / Q000145:classification / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000254:growth & development; D000818:Animals; D002262:Carboxy-Lyases / Q000378:metabolism; D003959:Diamines / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D011073:Polyamines / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D011700:Putrescine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D013095:Spermidine / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D003959:Diamines; D011073:Polyamines; C026212:N-acetylputrescine; C009475:trimethylenediamine; D002262:Carboxy-Lyases; D013095:Spermidine; D011700:Putrescine