The roles of polyamines in microorganisms

Abstract

Polyamines are small polycations that are well conserved in all the living organisms except Archae, Methanobacteriales and Halobacteriales. The most common polyamines are putrescine, spermidine and spermine, which exist in varying concentrations in different organisms. They are involved in a variety of cellular processes such as gene expression, cell growth, survival, stress response and proliferation. Therefore, diverse regulatory pathways are evolved to ensure strict regulation of polyamine concentration in the cells. Polyamine levels are kept under strict control by biosynthetic pathways as well as cellular uptake driven by specific transporters. Reverse genetic studies in microorganisms showed that deletion of the genes in polyamine metabolic pathways or depletion of polyamines have negative effects on cell survival and proliferation. The protein products of these genes are also used as drug targets against pathogenic protozoa. These altogether confirm the significant roles of polyamines in the cells. This mini-review focuses on the differential concentrations of polyamines and their cellular functions in different microorganisms. This will provide an insight about the diverse evolution of polyamine metabolism and function based on the physiology and the ecological context of the microorganisms.

Spermidine enhanced resistance of Chlorella to high levels of CO2 and light intensity for improving photosynthetic growth rate

“…One of the major roles of polyamines in the cell is to provide resistance to intracellular and environmental stress, including that caused by ROS, temperature changes, osmotic pressure or other toxic compounds. 1 The activity of T-SOD in the cells of the control decreased by 87.23%, from the initial 0.47 U mL À1 to 0.06 U mL À1 (Fig. 5).…”

Effect of high hydrostatic pressure challenge on biogenic amines, microbiota, and sensory profile in traditional poultry‐ and pork‐based semidried fermented sausage

“…Polyamines are involved in a variety of cellular processes such as gene expression, cell growth, survival, stress response, and proliferation. Reverse genetic studies in microorganisms showed that deletion of the genes in polyamine metabolic pathways or depletion of polyamines have negative effects on cell survival and proliferation (Gevrekci, 2017). The metabolic use of spermine and spermidine was done in a lesser extent once Enterobacteriaceae , molds, yeasts, and CNS counts were reduced by HPP application.…”

The Mechanism of Talaromyces Marneffei Influencing Macrophage RAW264.7 Polarization and Sterilization Ability via Arginine Metabolism Pathway

“…Putrescine, spermidine and spermine are the most common polyamines in bacteria and fungi. Except for two archaea, polyamines are identi ed in each organism [28,29]. The universal existence proves its importance in organism.…”

“…Polyamines are involved in many cellular processes, such as gene expression, cell proliferation, survival and stress response. The reverse-genetic study of microorganisms showed that the gene deletion or polyamine consumption in polyamine metabolism pathway had a negative effect on cell survival and proliferation [29]. In a study on the mutant T.marneffei strain of S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (SAMDC), which was the key enzyme of polyamine synthesis, it was found that the mutant strain had poor growth and sporulation capacity on the basic culture medium.…”