This book covers key topics in polyamine research from a range of organisms, including plants, mammals, and prokaryotes such as bacteria and archaea. The book provides an introduction to general concepts in the field of polyamine research, as well as more detailed information. With the availability of genome sequence data from a broad range of organisms, the evolution of the genes involved in polyamine metabolism is discussed. The mode of action of polyamines has been shown to be dependent on cation channels, and this mechanism is described in the book. The origin of polyamine transporters (from bacteria, yeasts, and plants) is described. The various effects of polyamines on growth and survival are also documented. The book details the mechanisms of polyamine homeostasis and the role of polyamine molecules as precursors of secondary metabolites such as plant alkaloids and toxins derived from spiders and wasps. The role of polyamines in longevity and disease is discussed. A link between polyamine contents and cancer progression is reported, as is the use of polyamine metabolites as diagnostic markers in the initial stages of cancer. Moreover, a novel approach that utilizes the polyamine pathway of a parasite as a drug target in African sleeping sickness is described. Therefore, this book is a valuable resource, both as a textbook for undergraduate and graduate students and also as a reference book for front-line polyamine researchers.
Author(s): Tomonobu Kusano, Hideyuki Suzuki (eds.)
Edition: 1
Publisher: Springer Japan
Year: 2015
Language: English
Pages: 336
Tags: Biochemistry, general; Cell Biology; Human Physiology; Molecular Medicine
Front Matter....Pages i-ix
Front Matter....Pages 1-1
Biosynthesis of Polyamines in Eukaryotes, Archaea, and Bacteria....Pages 3-14
Long-Chain and Branched Polyamines in Thermophilic Microbes....Pages 15-25
Regulation and Diversity of Polyamine Biosynthesis in Plants....Pages 27-44
Front Matter....Pages 45-45
Polyamine Catabolism in Prokaryotes....Pages 47-59
Mammalian Polyamine Catabolism....Pages 61-75
Polyamine Catabolism in Plants....Pages 77-88
Front Matter....Pages 89-89
Antizyme....Pages 91-99
Bacterial Antizyme....Pages 101-109
Polyamine Homeostasis in Plants: The Role(s) of Evolutionarily Conserved Upstream ORFs....Pages 111-118
Front Matter....Pages 119-119
Role of the Polyamine Spermidine as a Precursor for Hypusine Modification in eIF5A....Pages 121-129
The Polyamine Modulon: Genes Encoding Proteins Whose Synthesis Is Enhanced by Polyamines at the Level of Translation....Pages 131-141
Protein Synthesis and Polyamines in Thermophiles: Effect of Polyamines on Nucleic Acid Maintenance and Gene Expression....Pages 143-152
Front Matter....Pages 153-153
Polyamines in Plant Stress Response....Pages 155-168
Front Matter....Pages 169-169
Recent Advances in Bacterial Polyamine Transport Systems....Pages 171-178
Polyamine Transport Systems in Plants....Pages 179-185
Front Matter....Pages 187-187
Polyamine-Derived Alkaloids in Plants: Molecular Elucidation of Biosynthesis....Pages 189-200
Polyamine Toxins from Spiders and Wasps....Pages 201-214
Front Matter....Pages 215-215
Polyamine Block of Inwardly Rectifying Potassium (Kir) Channels....Pages 217-228
Polyamine Action on Plant Ion Channels and Pumps....Pages 229-241
Regulation of N -Methyl- d -Aspartate Receptors by Spermine and Ifenprodil....Pages 243-253
Front Matter....Pages 255-255
Polyamines and Longevity in Mammals....Pages 257-266
Polyamine Interactions with Plant Hormones: Crosstalk at Several Levels....Pages 267-302
Front Matter....Pages 303-303
N 1 , N 12 -Diacetylspermine in Human Urine: Performance as a Tumor Marker, Quantification, Production, and Excretion....Pages 305-313
Targeting the Polyamine Biosynthetic Pathway in Parasitic Protozoa....Pages 315-329
Back Matter....Pages 331-336
