IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL STAINING OF HUMAN SPERMIDINE SPERMINE N-1-ACETYLTRANSFERASE SUPERINDUCED IN RESPONSE TO TREATMENT WITH ANTITUMOR POLYAMINE ANALOGS/

A superinduction of the polyamine catabolic enzyme, spermidine/ spermi ne N-1-acetyltransferase (SSAT) accompanies the phenotype-specific cyt otoxic response to a class of antitumor polyamine analogues in several important human solid tumor models. A highly specific antiserum again st the human SSAT protein has been developed. Using this antiserum we demonstrate that polyamine analogue treatment irt vitro or in vivo res ults in an induction of SSAT protein which is uniformly distributed th roughout the cytoplasm of treated tumor cells. This new biochemical to ol will be useful in the examination of the association of superinduce d SSAT activity and cell type-specific cytotoxicity. Additionally, sin ce clinical trials have begun on one of the SSAT-inducing polyamine an alogues, this antiserum may be useful as a diagnostic tool in differen tiating responsive and nonresponsive tumor cell populations in treated patients.