Primary and Secondary Metabolism of Polyamines in Plants

Abstract

The diamine putrescine and the polyamines spermidine and spermine are amino acid-derived, aliphatic nitrogenous compounds of wide distribution among plant cells (Fig.1). The earliest reference to polyamines in the scientific literature is van Leeuwenhoek’s classic letter to the Royal Society of London in 1678. During his studies describing spermatozoa, he observed the gradual formation of colorless crystals upon drying the samples. The correct structure of these crystals, which corresponded to spermine, was not determined until over 250 years later.1 Spermidine was later found in mammalian tissues. The related diamines putrescine and cadaverine were found in decomposing animal and vegetable matter as a result of microbial activity. Within this historical frame, it is not surprising that earlier studies on these compounds were done mostly on non-plant systems. Recent interest in the function of polyamines in higher plants is in good part derived from discoveries in microbial and animal cells.