Cadaverine in Bacteriophage T4

Cadaverine was found in bacteriophage T4 when the host cells of Escherichia coli K-12 were grown in complex media and aerated by agitation. Only traces of cadaverine were found if the host was grown and agitated in synthetic medium or was aerated by vigorous bubbling in a complex medium. When the host cells were grown anaerobically in a complex medium, cadaverine became the major polyamine in the progeny phage. The polyamine content comprised 80% cadaverine, 14% spermidine (or its recently discovered homologue, N-3-aminopropyl-1, 5-diaminopentane), and the remainder putrescine. The conditions that favored appearance of cadaverine are known to be required for induction of lysine decarboxylase. It was shown that lysine was the sole source of bacterial cadaverine.