A Transcriptomics and Functional Genetics Approach to Identifying Components of the Drosophila Polyamine Transport System

Abstract

Polyamines are essential growth factors for normal and malignant cells. Cells obtain polyamines via biosynthesis or transport from the extracellular environment. Polyamine depletion therapy is an attractive option to inhibit the growth of cancer cells. An FDA approved drug inhibits polyamine biosynthesis, however malignant cells typically respond by upregulating the polyamine transport system. Therefore, a dual therapy simultaneously targeting the biosynthetic and transport pathways is desirable. However, this approach is currently hampered by a poor understanding of the transport system in multicellular eukaryotes. To address this problem, we used RNA‐Seq to identify genes that are up‐ or down‐regulated under conditions where Drosophila larvae must transport polyamines to survive. From the screen 36 candidate genes for roles in polyamine transport were identified. We have also developed a functional genetic assay to test individual candidate genes. Our results suggest the existence of tissue‐specific polyamine transport systems, and post‐transcriptional regulation of polyamine transport.Support or Funding InformationUniversity of Central Florida, College of Sciences Seed AwardThis abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.