C. W. Tabor, L. Dobbs
Apr 25, 1970
Citations
0
Influential Citations
37
Citations
Journal
The Journal of biological chemistry
Abstract
Abstract 1,4-Diaminobutane and spermidine are the predominant polyamines in Escherichia coli that are growing in log phase on minimal medium. Contrary to earlier reports, significant acetylation does not occur when E. coli is grown under these conditions. The intracellular amines are completely retained by the cell during logarithmic growth. There is no evidence of oxidative degradation or of significant loss to the medium. Significant acetylation of the amines has been found in two situations: (a) storage of a culture in the cold is associated with a continuous increase in the monoacetylspermidine at the expense of intracellular free spermidine; and (b) growth in a medium containing high concentrations of spermidine results in the conversion of a significant percentage of the cellular spermidine to monoacetylspermidine. Storage of a culture in the cold also leads to a progressive loss of 1,4-diaminobutane to the medium, resulting in a marked decrease in its cellular concentration.