Alterations in the accumulation patterns of polyamines in brains of myelin-deficient mice.

Quaking mutants and jimpy mutants of mice have known deficiencies of myelination of the central nervous system, as well as lesser involvement of the peripheral nervous system. Both mutants also have altered polyamine synthesis and accumulation, particularly in the hindbrain and spinal column. The ratio of spermidine/spermine, which generally is higher in tissues with high rates of biosynthetic activity, was significantly lower in the mutants as compared to their normal siblings. In quaking mutants, 5 months of age, the spermidine concentration of hindbrain and spinal column was 60% that of controls. In contrast, the decreased spermidine/spermine ratio in jimpy mutants resulted from a marked increase in the spermine concentration in both forebrain and hindbrain. Alterations in the spermidine/spermine ratio could lead to reductions in the biosynthetic potential of the brain during development.