Abstract
To obtain the relation between cellular polyamine distribution profiles and multicellular evolution in green algae, we acid-extracted polyamines from 59 additional unicellular, colonial and multicellular green-algal samples (52 species), newly analyzed them with HPLC and HPGC, and compared them with 124 previously analyzed green algal polyamine profiles. Tetra-amines, norspermine and/or spermine, which are distributed as major polyamines predominantly in multicellular, macro green algae, were found also in unicellular photobiontic Trebouxia species and endosymbiotic Chlorella variabilis (Trebouxiophyceae), respectively. In the class Chlorophyceae, colonial freshwater Volvox, Pleodorina, Eudorina, Yamagishiella, Pandorina, Tetrabaena and Gonium (Volvocales) always contain putrescine, norspermidine and spermidine as major polyamines, similar to unicellular Chlamydomonas and Haematococcus, indicating that there is no correlation between their colony-forming and polyamine profiles. A novel triamine, aminobutylcadaverine, homospermidine and homospermine were all detected as minor polyamines in another colonial alga, Westella (Sphaeropleales). Furthermore, the aminobutylcadaverine level increased, and novel tetra-amines N1-aminopentylspermidine and N 8-aminopentylspermidine appeared in a culture supplemented with 1 mM cadaverine. The occurrence of thermospermine was limited in multicellular thallic freshwater Prasiola (Trebouxiophyceae) and multicellular thallic marine Ulva (Ulvophyceae). Caldopentamine, homocaldopentamine and/or thermopentamine were distributed as minor polyamines in unicellular coenocytic Codium, multicellular branched-filamentous Aegagropila, thallic Monostroma (Ulvophyceae) and filamentous Spirogyra (Zygnematophyceae) in addition to Prasiola and Ulva, suggesting that the occurrence of penta-amines is related to multicellular and macro green-algal evolution.
