Raina A, Jänne J
Med Biol. 1975 Jun;53(3):121-47.
The biochemistry and biological function of the naturally occurring polyamines, putrescine, spermidine, and spermine, have been reviewed with special reference to animal organisms. These compounds are universally distributed in all living material. Their biosynthesis from ornithine and methionine is accurately controlled and may fluctuate according to the metabolic needs of the cell. Polyamines strongly and specifically interact with nucleic acids in vitro. It appears that under physiological conditions a substantial portion of cellular polyamines is noncovalently bound to nucleic acids and nucleic acid-containing structures such as ribosomes. Polyamines are able to stimulate protein and ribonucleic acid synthesis in vitro. In several systems characterized by rapid growth polyamines and ribonucleic acid accumulate in parrallel. Evidence that polyamines may have an essential role in protein and/or nucleic acid synthesis is substantiated by recent observations on polyamine-deficient bacterial mutants, although no specific function has been established with certainty as yet. Some clinical applications of polyamine research related to cancer are also discussed briefly.
已特别参照动物机体对天然存在的多胺（腐胺、亚精胺和精胺）的生物化学及生物学功能进行了综述。这些化合物普遍存在于所有生物材料中。它们由鸟氨酸和蛋氨酸合成的过程受到精确控制，并可能根据细胞的代谢需求而波动。多胺在体外能与核酸发生强烈且特异性的相互作用。在生理条件下，细胞内相当一部分多胺似乎以非共价键的形式与核酸及含核酸的结构（如核糖体）结合。多胺在体外能够刺激蛋白质和核糖核酸的合成。在几个以快速生长为特征的系统中，多胺和核糖核酸平行积累。尽管尚未确定其具体功能，但最近对多胺缺陷型细菌突变体的观察证实了多胺可能在蛋白质和/或核酸合成中起重要作用这一证据。文中还简要讨论了多胺研究在癌症相关方面的一些临床应用。
