The role of hypusine depletion in cytostasis induced by S-adenosyl-L-methionine decarboxylase inhibition: new evidence provided by 1-methylspermidine and 1,12-dimethylspermine.

The abilities of the natural polyamines, spermidine and spermine, and of the synthetic analogues, 1-methylspermidine and 1,12-dimethylspermine, to reverse the effects of the S-adenosyl-L-methionine decarboxylase inhibitor 5'-([(Z)-4-aminobut-2-enyl]methylamino)-5'-deoxyadenosine (AbeAdo) on L1210-cell growth were studied. L1210 cells were exposed to AbeAdo for 12 days to induce cytostasis and then exposed to spermidine, spermine, 1-methylspermidine or 1,12-dimethylspermine in the continued presence of AbeAdo. AbeAdo-induced cytostasis was overcome by the natural polyamines, spermidine and spermine. The cytostasis was also reversed by 1-methylspermidine. 1,12-Dimethylspermine had no effect on the AbeAdo-induced cytostasis of chronically treated cells, although it was active in permitting growth of cells treated with the ornithine decarboxylase inhibitor, alpha-difluoromethylornithine. The initial 12-day exposure to AbeAdo elevated intracellular putrescine levels, depleted intracellular spermidine and spermine, and resulted in the accumulation of unmodified eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5A (eIF-5A). Exposure of these cells to exogenous spermidine, which is the natural substrate for deoxyhypusine synthase, resulted in a decrease in the unmodified eIF-5A content. 1-Methylspermidine, which was found to be a substrate of deoxyhypusine synthase in vitro, also decreased the levels of unmodified eIF-5A in the AbeAdo-treated cells. Although spermine is not a substrate of deoxyhypusine synthase, spermine was converted into spermidine in the L1210 cells, and spermine addition to AbeAdo-treated cells resulted in the appearance of both intracellular spermine and spermidine and in the decrease in unmodified eIF-5A. Exogenous 1,12-dimethylspermine, which was not metabolized to spermine or to 1-methylspermidine and was not a substrate of deoxyhypusine synthase in vitro, did not decrease levels of unmodified eIF-5A. The finding that AbeAdo-induced cytostasis was only reversed by polyamines and polyamine analogues that result in the formation of hypusine or an analogue in eIF-5A is consistent with the hypothesis [Byers, Wiest, Wechter and Pegg (1993) Biochem. J. 290, 115-121] that AbeAdo-induced cytostasis is due to the depletion of the hypusine-containing form of eIF-5A, which is secondary to the depletion of spermidine by inhibition of S-adenosyl-L-methionine decarboxylase.