Background: Polyamines are widespread intracellular molecules able to influence antibiotic susceptibility, but almost nothing is known on their occurrence and physiological role in mycobacteria.
Methods: here, we analyzed transcriptomic, proteomic and biochemical data and obtained the first evidence for the post-transcriptional expression of some genes attributed to polyamine metabolism and polyamine transport in Mycolicibacterium smegmatis (basionym Mycobacterium smegmatis).
Results: in our experiments, exponentially growing cells demonstrated transcription of 21 polyamine-associated genes and possessed 7 enzymes of polyamine metabolism and 2 polyamine transport proteins.
Conclusion: Mycolicibacterium smegmatis putrescine synthesizing enzyme agmatinase SpeB was originally shown to catalyze agmatine conversion to putrescine in vitro. Nevertheless, we have not found any polyamines in mycobacterial cells.
Keywords: Agmatine; Mycolicibacterium smegmatis; mycobacteria; polyamines; putrescine.