Effects of selenomethionine on cell growth and on S-adenosylmethionine metabolism in cultured malignant cells.

The effects of selenomethionine (SeMet) on the growth of 17 cultured cell lines were studied. SeMet in the culture medium of three hepatoma cell lines promoted cell growth at subcytotoxic levels (1-20 microM), but the growth of malignant lymphoid and myeloid cells was not stimulated. L-SeMet was cytotoxic to all 17 cell lines when assayed after culture for 3-10 days.

Synthesis and analysis of selenomethionine metabolites.

This paper describes the enzymatic synthesis of selenomethionine metabolites of the transmethylation and polyamine synthesis pathways: adenosylselenomethionine, adenosylselenohomocysteine, decarboxylated adenosylselenomethionine, and methylselenoadenosine. These compounds and the corresponding methionine metabolites were simultaneously separated by a single HPLC run. The sensitivity of the HPLC method is about 20 pmol per compound.

Purification and partial characterization of human polyamine synthases.

Spermidine synthase was purified to apparent homogeneity from human spleens (8700-fold) by affinity chromatography. The native enzyme was composed of two subunits of identical Mr (35,000) and showed an apparent Mr of 62,000 in pore-gradient gel electrophoresis. Its pI was 5.

Effect of dietary methionine, arginine and ornithine on the metabolism and accumulation of polyamines, S-adenosylmethionine and macromolecules in rat liver and skeletal muscle.

The interrelationship and possible causality of polyamine synthesis and the transmethylation pathway in the growth-retarding effects of inadequate or excess dietary methionine was studied in young male rats. Feeding the rats for 2 weeks diets containing toxic concentrations of methionine had no effect on polyamine and S-adenosylmethionine metabolism in skeletal muscle, but resulted in markedly elevated concentrations of S-adenosylmethionine and S-adenosylhomocysteine and slightly decreased accumulation of spermine and RNA in the liver. These changes were accompanied by liver-specific stimulation of methionine adenosyltransferase and reduction of spermine synthase activities.

1-Aminooxy-3-aminopropane, a new and potent inhibitor of polyamine biosynthesis that inhibits ornithine decarboxylase, adenosylmethionine decarboxylase and spermidine synthase.

1-Aminooxy-3-aminopropane was shown to be a potent competitive inhibitor (Ki = 3.2 nM) of homogenous mouse kidney ornithine decarboxylase, a potent irreversible inhibitor (Ki = 50 microM) of homogeneous liver adenosylmethionine decarboxylase and a potent competitive (Ki = 2.3 microM) of homogeneous bovine brain spermidine synthase.