Acetylation of polyamines in mouse brain: subcellular and regional distribution.

The acetylation of putrescine, cadaverine, spermidine, and spermine was examined in different subcellular fractions and regions of the mouse brain. Acetylation activity was confined to nuclear and microsomal fractions, which can acetylate all of these compounds. These fractions catalyze the formation of N8 but not N1-acetylspermidine. For the nuclear fraction the Km for putrescine was 3.5 mM; for cadaverine, 4.0 mM; for spermidine, 1.0 mM; and for spermine, 2.5 mM. The Vmax obtained were (pmol/mg protein/10 min): putrescine, 424; cadaverine, 705; spermidine, 239; and spermine, 467. The acetylation of spermidine was highest in the olfactory bulb and cerebellum. Putrescine and cadaverine acetylation were high in these areas, as well as in the midbrain. Spermine acetylation was rather uniform in all areas examined, except in the brain stem (pons-medulla) where enzyme activity was very low.