Comparative Polyamine Analysis Of Invertebrates: Rotifers, Planarians, Spiders, Crustaceans And Insects

The more than 35 biogenic polyamines have important roles in physiological processes ranging from acid-base buffering to the scavenging of oxygen free radicals. As such they have key cellularand organismal-level functions in cell growth, cell differentiation, metamorphosis, spermatogenesis and fertilization in multicellular organisms. To determine cellular polyamine distribution profiles in animals at the base of the phylogenetic tree, the acid-extracted polyamines from 37 kinds of invertebrates (egg, larva, pupa and/or adult whole body) collected from various environments, were quantitatively analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography and their concentrations (μmol /g wet weight) were calculated. Two rotifers (phylum Rotifera) contained putrescine, spermidine, homospermidine and spermine. Two land planarians (phylum Platyhelminthes) as well as freshwater planarians and marine planarians contained putrescine, cadaverine, spermidine and spermine. Diaminopropane, putrescine, spermidine and spermine were commonly distributed, while distribution of homospermidine, norspermidine and norspermine were taxonomically varied in daphnia, tadpole shrimp, brine shrimp, shrimp, opossum shrimp and isopod (subphylum Crustacea of phylum Arthropoda). In the class Insecta of the subphylum Hexapoda of phylum Arthropoda, aminopropylhomospermidine was detected in silk moths, stag beetles and rhinoceros beetles, and caldopentamine in mealworms.