POLYAMINES IN BOVINE EPIDIDYMAL SPERMATOZOA

Abstract

Institut für Biochemie, Institut für Medizinische Chemie, Tierärztliche Hochschule, Ludwig Boltzmann-Institut für Veterinärmedizinische Endokrinologie und für Leukämieforschung und Hämatologie, Wien, Austria (Received 26th February 1975) The stimulation of biosynthesis of putrescine and the polyamines spermidine and spermine has been observed in many processes of cell proliferation and differentiation in eukaryotic organisms (Tabor & Tabor, 1964; Williams-Ashman & Reddi, 1971; Cohen, 1971; Williams-Ashman et al., 1972; Bachrach, 1973), although the functional significance of these observations is still unclear and has evoked much discussion (Bachrach, 1973; Russell, 1973). The enhancement of putrescine and polyamine production has been correlated with protein-, RNA- and DNA-synthesis (Russell, 1973), and these diamines are probably involved in the regulation of mitosis (Fillingame & Morris, 1973). Since an influence of polyamines on membrane functions has been shown (Tabor & Tabor, 1964; Lockwood & East, 1974), we have investigated the alterations of the polyamine content of epididymal spermatozoa during