Premium
Measurement of DL‐α‐difluoromethylornithine concentration using ornithine decarboxylase
Author(s) -
Robins Richard J.,
Evans David M.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
phytochemical analysis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.574
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1099-1565
pISSN - 0958-0344
DOI - 10.1002/pca.2800010107
Subject(s) - ornithine decarboxylase , chemistry , bioassay , biochemistry , escherichia coli , yeast , datura stramonium , carboxy lyases , chromatography , enzyme , biology , botany , genetics , gene
The inhibitor of ornithine decarboxylase, DL‐α‐difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), shows considerable potential in the chemotherapeutic control of lethal protozoal infections. It is also valuable in studies of the metabolism of polyamines. This paper describes a method for the accurate assay of the concentration of this material in aqueous tissue extracts by determining the degree to which a yeast ornithine decarboxylase, expressed on a high‐copy‐number Escherichia coli plasmid, is inhibited. By relating the degree of inhibition to that achieved with standard amounts of DFMO, the concentration present in unknown samples may be determined. The method has been applied to an examination of the conversion by transformed root cultures of Datura stramonium of DL‐α‐difluoromethylarginine to DFMO.