Assessing the polyamine pathway through 

immunoassays!

Scientific background

Polyamines are molecules derived from ornithine (Orn) (i.e., putrescine, spermine, spermidine) or arginine (Arg) (i.e., agmatine). They are present in mammalian cells at millimolar concentrations (1). Key regulatory steps of their metabolism are represented by ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), acetyl-CoA:spermidine/spermine N1-acetyltransferase (cSAT), acetylCoA:spermidine-N8-acetyltransferase (nSAT), and membrane transport systems. While ODC is responsible for ornithine degradation and spermidine production, cSAT and nSAT transform spermidine to N1- and N8-acetylspermidine (N1- and N8-AcSpdn), respectively. These molecules are involved in many critical processes such as cell proliferation, nucleic acid synthesis, and cytoprotection from oxidative stress (2). Several studies have evidenced that polyamine metabolism is frequently increased in cancer (3), which can fuel tumor progression (4) and favor immune escape (5). Elevated levels of polyamines in sera of cancer patients have been demonstrated to correlate with poor prognosis (6). 

Our new ELISA kits

Given the importance of this metabolic pathway in cancer progression (4) and resistance to treatment (7), investigating it requires robust tools. To this aim, we developed and validated the first ELISA kits to quantify ornithine (#IS-l-1000R), N1-acetylspermidine (#IS-I-2400R), and N8-acetylspermidine (#IS-I-2500R) in samples of different natures (plasma, cell culture supernatants) and species (mouse, human). 

Our catalog of small molecule antibodies & ELISA kits

Our catalog only features validated small molecule antibodies & ELISA kits. Selected for their specificity and affinity by ELISA, our antibodies enable rapid & robust detection and/or quantification of small molecules in various types of biological materials, including cells and lysates, tissues and homogenates, culture supernatants, plasma and serum samples.