Role of polyamines in the synthesis of RNA in mycobacteria.

All three polyamines - putrescine, spermidine and spermine stimulated the activity of mycobacterial RNA polymerase in vitro although the concentration required for maximal stimulation was different for each of the amines. Spermidine and spermine showed a biphasic effect on the enzyme activity. Stimulation of RNA synthesis by spermidine occurs only at higher DNA template/enzyme ratio. Spermidine stimulates RNA synthesis by acting on the elongation phase of RNA synthesis but it had no effect on initiation phase. Addition of mycobacterial RNA to the assay mixture resulted in the inhibition of RNA polymerase activity and this inhibition could be reversed by spermidine suggesting that spermidine stimulates transcription by binding to nascent RNA and thus destabilizing the short DNA-RNA hybrid region.