Cell-free synthesis of deoxyhypusine. Separation of protein substrate and enzyme and identification of 1,3-diaminopropane as a product of spermidine cleavage.

The post-translational formation of hypusine (N epsilon-(4-amino-2-hydroxybutyl)lysine) occurs in a precursor of eukaryotic initiation factor 4D by way of two major steps: 1) transfer of the 4-aminobutyl moiety from spermidine to the epsilon-amino group of a specific lysine residue to form an intermediate, deoxyhypusine; 2) hydroxylation of the deoxyhypusine residue to form hypusine. The initial step of this modification, deoxyhypusine synthesis, was studied in fractionated lysates of Chinese hamster ovary cells, untreated, or treated with alpha-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO); the enzyme(s) and the protein substrate (eukaryotic initiation factor 4D precursor) were separated. The enzyme activity was found in the 0-45% ammonium sulfate fraction from both untreated and DFMO-treated cells. The protein substrate was detected in the 45-75% ammonium sulfate fraction from cells depleted of spermidine by treatment with DFMO, but not in any fraction from untreated cells. Upon further purification of the protein substrate by ion exchange chromatography, the requirement for a pyridine nucleotide, notably NAD+, became apparent. Free 1,3-diaminopropane was identified as a spermidine cleavage product formed concurrently with the 4-aminobutyl transfer step of deoxyhypusine synthesis. Compounds structurally related to spermidine, e.g. caldine, N4-benzylspermidine, homospermidine, and a spermine homologue, thermine, as well as 1,7-diaminoheptane, 1,8-diaminooctane, and 1,9-diaminononane caused significant inhibition of deoxyhypusine synthesis presumably due to competition with spermidine. 1,3-Diaminopropane exhibited a potent inhibition of deoxyhypusine formation, probably through a different mechanism.