The roles of polyamines in microorganisms

Polyamines are small polycations that are well conserved in all the living organisms except Archae, Methanobacteriales and Halobacteriales. The most common polyamines are putrescine, spermidine and spermine, which exist in varying concentrations in different organisms. They are involved in a variety of cellular processes such as gene expression, cell growth, survival, stress response and proliferation. Therefore, diverse regulatory pathways are evolved to ensure strict regulation of polyamine concentration in the cells. Polyamine levels are kept under strict control by biosynthetic pathways as well as cellular uptake driven by specific transporters. Reverse genetic studies in microorganisms showed that deletion of the genes in polyamine metabolic pathways or depletion of polyamines have negative effects on cell survival and proliferation. The protein products of these genes are also used as drug targets against pathogenic protozoa. These altogether confirm the significant roles of polyamines in the cells. This mini-review focuses on the differential concentrations of polyamines and their cellular functions in different microorganisms. This will provide an insight about the diverse evolution of polyamine metabolism and function based on the physiology and the ecological context of the microorganisms.