The state of the art in the area of polyamines is presented in this useful, two-volume publication. Basic information describing the role of polyamines in the processes of growth and differentiation is given. Also included are data on the regulation of polyamine biosynthesis and metabolism and their interactions with nucleic acids. Several chapters are devoted to the role of polyamines in various aspects of plant biology, with a special emphasis on their participation in the response of plants to extreme environments. Special attention is given to the use of inhibitors of polyamine biosynthesis as potential antitumor and antiproliferative agents. Additionally, recent progress in the molecular biology and genetic engineering of genes coding for polyamine biosynthetic enzymes is described. Cancer researchers, biologists, geneticists, biochemists, physiologists, and clinicians will find this volume indispensible.

Contents

VOLUME II: POLYAMINES IN MICROBES. Polyamines and the Growth of Bacteria and Viruses. Polyamines in Thermophiles. Propylamine Transfer Reactions in Thermophilic Archaebacteria: Enzymological Aspects and Comparative Biochemistry. Microbial Mutants Deficient in Polyamine Synthesis. Regulation of the Putrescine Biosynthetic Genes (SpeA, speB, and speC) in Escherichia coli. Utilization of L-Arginine, L-Ornithine, Agmatine, and Putrescine as the Major Source of Nitrogen and Its Control in Escherichia coli. POLYAMINES AND PLANTS. Polyamines and Plant Response to Stress. Polyamines and Plant Growth and Development. Polyamines and Plant Hormones. Polyamines in Plant Mutants. POLYAMINES AND DISEASES. Polyamines in Health and Disease. Polyamine Metabolism and Neoplastic Growth: A Programmed Deregulation? Polyamines as Markers of Malignancy. Polyamines as Indicators of Disease Activity and Response to Therapy in Cancer Patients. Inhibitors of Polyamine Biosynthesis as Therapeutic Agents. Clinical Studies of a- Difluoromethylornithine and a-Interferon in Cancer Patients. Changes in Polyamine Metabolism in Tumor-Bearing Hosts with Total Parenteral Nutrition and Intravenous Infusion of a-Difluoromethylornithine. Index. c. 328 pp., 7x10, due February 1989, ISBN-0-8493-6809-X.