Spatial and temporal variations in free polyamine distributions in Uranouchi Inlet, Japan

• Published in: Marine chemistry 2003-08, Vol.82 (3), p.307-314
• Main Authors: Nishibori, Naoyoshi, Matuyama, Yukihiko, Uchida, Takushi, Moriyama, Takamitu, Ogita, Yoshihiko, Oda, Masumi, Hirota, Hitoshi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Cation exchange resin; Coastal seawater; Earth sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Exact sciences and technology; External geophysics; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Geochemistry; HPLC; Marine; Mineralogy; Physical and chemical properties of sea water; Physics of the oceans; Polyamine; Sea water ecosystems; Silicates; Synecology; Uranouchi Inlet; Water chemistry; Water geochemistry
• ISSN: 0304-4203; 1872-7581
• DOI: 10.1016/S0304-4203(03)00076-8

Polyamines are an essential component of living organisms that influence normal cell growth and development. Despite the possible importance of polyamines for marine microbial ecology, concentrations of polyamines in seawater are not well known. Using HPLC analysis with a cation exchange column and OPA reagent, we determined polyamine concentrations in seawater without carrying out desalting, concentration or derivatization steps prior to chromatography. In seawater collected from Uranouchi Inlet, putrescine and spermidine were the predominant polyamines, ranging from undetectable (N.D.) to 4.4 nM and N.D. to 2.8 nM, respectively. Though other polyamines were detected, the frequency of detection was much lower than that of putrescine and spermidine; concentrations ranged from N.D. to 0.9 nM for cadaverine, and N.D. to 3.2 nM for norspermidine. Norspermine and spermine were detected in only a few samples; their concentrations varied from N.D. to 3.2 nM and N.D. to 0.5 nM, respectively. These concentrations were higher in the summer.