Putrescine export in Xenopus laevis oocytes occurs against a concentration gradient: evidence for a non-diffusional...

Putrescine export was found to occur by a non-diffusional highly regulated process using Xenopus oocytes as a model system of polyamine transport. Untreated oocytes were observed to possess high endogenous intracellular putrescine and spermidine levels with no detectable polyamine interconversion or biosynthesis over the assay intervals. The putrescine uptake process demonstrated a rapid saturation within a 5 min interval. Spermidine demonstrated a relatively larger uptake capacity with only a minimal ability to export. A kinetic analysis of the concentration-dependence of the putrescine and spermidine uptake processes indicated that the putrescine uptake process may possess two concurrent uptake components while spermidine uptake may possess a two-component process with an allosteric regulation. Elevated intracellular putrescine levels were observed to decrease against a 10-fold higher extracellular concentration gradient in a rapid and specific manner. No noticeable changes in the intracellular levels of other polyamines were observed over the same time interval. The uptake and export rates of putrescine transport also showed a concurrent, rapid and cyclical regulation. These findings support a non-diffusional putrescine export process which is highly regulated.