Polyamine Oxidase Activity in Sera of Depressed and Schizophrenic Patients after ECT Treatment

High level of polyamine oxidase activity is detected in sera of depressed as well as in schizophrenic patients. ECT treatment of depressed and schizophrenic patients reduced significantly the level of polyamine oxidase activity in their sera. After ECT treatment, clinically improved depressed and schizophrenic subjects were found to have sera polyamine oxidase activity not significantly differ from that of normal subjects. Possible biochemical mechanisms, which link polyamine oxidase activity, schizophrenia, depression and ECT effect are discussed here.     

OCCURRENCE AND PROPERTIES OF MONOAMINE OXIDASE IN ADRENERGIC NEURONS

—Monoamine oxidase activity of peripheral organs of various species has been examined after surgical, chemical and immunological sympathectomy to assess the proportion of enzyme activity in adrenergic neurons and in extraneuronal cells. Significant falls in monoamine oxidase activity of vas deferens, submaxillary gland, iris and spleen were seen after sympathetic denervation although not in heart, small intestine and kidney. It was suggested that a correlation exists between the extent of the fall in monoamine oxidase activity after sympathectomy and the density of sympathetic innervation of the control organ. Studies of monoamine oxidase activity in vas deferens after inhibition with clorgyline suggested multiple forms of monoamine oxidase. Differences in inhibitor sensitivity, substrate specificity and thermal inactivation of monoamine oxidase in normal and denervated vas deferens were found and it was suggested that differences exist in the properties of the neuronal and extraneuronal monoamine oxidase.     

MULTIPLE FORMS OF MONOAMINE OXIDASE IN DEVELOPING BRAIN: TISSUE AND SUBSTRATE SPECIFICITIES

Brains, hearts and livers from newborn and adult rats were assayed for monoamine oxidase activity using gel electrophoretic techniques. The results suggest that each of the tissues possesses multiple forms (isoenzymes) of monoamine oxidase and that these forms are different for the various tissues. Further, the forms of monoamine oxidase in the neonatal tissues differ from those in the corresponding adult tissue. These different forms of monoamine oxidase have different substrate specificities. Using 5-hydroxy[¹⁴C]tryptamine as substrate, we have demonstrated that the monoamine oxidase patterns appearing on the gel do indeed possess monoamine oxidase activity.     

Pathological changes in platelet histamine oxidases in atopic eczema

Increased plasma histamine levels were associated with significantly lowered diamine and type B monoamine oxidase activities in platelet-rich plasma of atopic eczema (AE) patients. The diamine oxidase has almost normal cofactor levels (pyridoxal phosphate and Cu(2+)) but the cofactor levels for type B monoamine oxidase (flavin adenine dinucleotide and Fe(2+)) are lowered. The biogenic amines putrescine, cadaverine, spermidine, spermine, tyramine and serotonin in the sera, as well as dopamine and epinephrine in EDTA-plasma were found to be normal. It is unlikely, therefore, that these amines are responsible for the decreased activities of monoamine and diamine oxidase in these patients. The most likely causative factors for the inhibition of the diamine oxidase are nicotine, alcohol, food additives and other environmental chemicals, or perhaps a genetic defect of the diamine oxidase.     

Monoacylcadaverines in the blood of schizophrenic patients

Concentrations of cadaverine, monoacetylcadaverine and monopropionylcadaverine in the blood of schizophrenic and nonschizophrenic subjects were measured. Two groups, one from the U.S.A. the other from Japan, were tested. Monoacetylcadaverine and monopropionylcadaverine were found elevated in the blood of some schizophrenic patients in comparison with those in controls in each group. Their increase could be caused by a reduced monoamine oxidase activity or by an increased acylation in schizophrenic patients.     

Significance of multiple forms of brain monoamine oxidase in situ as probed by electron spin resonance.

Spin-labeled hydroxyamphetamine, a competitive reversible inhibitor of brain monoamine oxidase, has been shown to be useful as an electron spin resonance (ESR) probe of the microenvironment of the active sites of the possible monoamine oxidase multiple forms. The ESR spectrum of spin-labeled hydroxyamphetamine was strongly quenched upon binding to the enzyme. The conformation of the active site of rat brain monoamine oxidase existing in various physical states, i.e. monoamine oxidase in situ (intact brain mitochondria), crude solubilized monoamine oxidase (MAOS) and isolated monoamine oxidase fractions (MAOa and MAOb) were critically and systematically examined. Nonlinear least squares regression analyses have been used to fit the binding data (obtained at room temperature with varying spin-labeled hydroxyamphetamine concentrations) to three groups of independent noninteracting ligand-binding models. A Gibbs-Helmholtz relationship was applied to the interpretation of the measured apparent association constant K as a function of temperature ranging from 4-50 degrees with increments of 2 degreesmfrom the extracted intensive parameters, k (intrinsic association constant) and deltaF (intrinsic free energy), as well as the apparent heat, deltaH, it was clear that the microenvironment of the binding sites existing in the more purified enzyme fractions MAOa and MAOb were similar to those found in the crude solubilized enzyme. More importantly, they correlated well with the conformation of the sites characterized in situ. The data suggested that the microenvironment of this multienzyme system was unperturbed in spite of the treatment due to the isolation process. In terms of the composition of binding sites, MAOa appeared to be heterogeneous while MAOb appeared to be more homogeneous. Since the isolated fractions MAOa and MAOb possessed marked different substrate specificities, these observations directly implied that monoamine oxidase multiple forms do exist in situ. The extracted extensive parameters, n (specific binding activity, nanomoles/mg of protein), as well as the measured characteristic transition temperatures, indicated that the relative abundance of the sites which directly affected substrate specificities was indeed altered. The consistency of the characteristic transition temperatures of 21 degrees and 38 degrees for the case of intact membrane preparations was particularly significant. A tenable hypothesis is that the manipulation in the composition of the monoamine oxidase binding forms through intimate lipid-protein interactions, which has been amply demonstrated in many biomembrane systems to be functionally important might be the underlying regulatory mechanism in vivo.     

On hepatic mitochondrial monoamine oxidase activity in lipid deficiency.

A marked decrease in liver mitochondrial monoamine oxidase activity was noticed in rats fed a fat-free diet as compared with that of their controls. In lipid-deprived rats, the specific activity of this enzyme was very low towards different substrates studied. The activity of kynurenine 3-monooxygenase, which like monoamine oxidase is localized on the mitochondrial outer membrane, was similarly depressed under conditions of lipid deprivation. On the other hand no major changes were observed in the activity of the inner membrane enzyme, kynurenine amino-transferase. Mitochondria from fat-free diet-fed rats were deficient in essential fatty acids whereas no appreciable variations were found in the relative proportions of phospholipids in comparison with those of control mitochondria. Mitochondrial monoamine oxidase activity of the deficient rats retained its sensitivities to inhibitor drugs like clorgyline and deprenyl. No changes were noticeable in the substrate specificity of monoamine oxidase in these rats. When we switched the fat-free diet-fed rats to a diet supplemented with a source of essential fatty acids, there was an elevation in the activities of both monoamine oxidase and kynurenine 3-monooxygenase, their levels approaching those of the control rats.     

Human alpha-fucosidase. Single residual enzymatic form in fucosidosis.

Four major forms of alpha-fucosidase (EC 3.2.1.51) activity were separated by isoelectrofocusing from sera of normal control individuals. All forms shifted towards less acidic pI values after neuraminidase treatment. In two patients affected with fucosidosis, only a single major acidic peak was observed and this was affected to a lesser degree by neuraminidase treatment. The kinetics of heat inactivation of the residual activity found in these two patients showed two decay rates while the controls showed only one rate. These data are considered in relation to the hypothesis of the existence of interconvertible thermolabile and thermostable forms of the enzyme which has been discussed in the preceeding paper. The residual alpha-fucosidase found in patients could be structurally altered so that its ability to form the thermostable higher molecular weight aggregates is impaired.     

Catechol O-methyltransferase and monoamine oxidase A genotypes,and plasma catecholamine metabolites in bipolar and schizophrenic patients

Metabolites of dopamine and norepinephrine measured in the plasma have long been associated with symptomatic severity and response to treatment in schizophrenic, bipolar and other psychiatric patients. Plasma concentrations of catecholamine metabolites are genetically regulated. The genes encoding enzymes that are involved in the synthesis and degradation of these monoamines are candidate targets for this genetic regulation. We have studied the relationship between the Val158Met polymorphism in catechol O-methyltransferase gene, variable tandem repeat polymorphisms in the monoamine oxidase A gene promoter, and plasma concentrations of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and homovanillic acid in healthy control subjects as well as in untreated schizophrenic and bipolar patients. We found that the Val158Met substitution in catechol O-methyltransferase gene influences the plasma concentrations of homovanillic and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acids. Although higher concentrations of plasma homovanillic acid were found in the high-activity ValVal genotype, this mutation did not affect the plasma concentration of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol. 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid concentrations were higher in the low-activity MetMet genotype. Interestingly, plasma values 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol were greater in schizophrenic patients and in bipolar patients than in healthy controls. Our results are compatible with the previously reported effect of the Val158Met polymorphism on catechol O-methyltransferase enzymatic activity. Thus, our results suggest that this polymorphism, alone or associated with other polymorphisms, could have an important role in the genetic control of monoamine concentration and its metabolites.     

Multiple molecular forms of lysosomal enzymes in mucolipidosis II

Summary The multiple molecular forms of selected lysosomal enzymes, as determined by analytical isoelectric focusing electrophoresis, from mucolipidosis II fibroblasts have a highly simplified pattern demonstrating a failure to undergo normal oligosaccharide processing. On the other hand, the multiple molecular forms of these same enzymes in mucolipidosis II sera and culture media are indistinguishable from controls.     

Monoamine oxidase and catechol-O-methyltransferase activities in cultured human skin fibroblasts

Human fibroblasts obtained from normal male children and children with the Lesch-Nyhan syndrome were found to contain both the A and B forms of monoamine oxidase, with the A form predominating. Both forms of monoamine oxidase showed decreased activities in Lesch-Nyhan, as compared to normal cells; while catechol-O-methyltrans-ferase activities were similar. This study demonstrates the usefulness of fibroblasts cultured from human skin biopsies in analyses of alterations in catecholamine catabolism associated with inherited neurologic diseases.     

Comparison of biochemical properties of liver arginase from streptozocin-induced diabetic and control mice

Arginase activity is elevated in livers of diabetic animals compared to controls and there is evidence that this is due in part to increased specific activity (activity/mg arginase protein). To investigate the molecular basis of this increased activity, the physicochemical and kinetic properties of hepatic arginase from diabetic and control mice were compared. Two types of arginase subunits with molecular weights of 35,000 and 38,000 were found in both the diabetic and control animals and the subunits in these animals had similar, multiple ionic forms. Kinetic parameters of purified preparations of arginase for arginine (apparent Km and Vmax values) and the thermal stability of these preparations from diabetics and controls were also similar. Furthermore, no difference was found in the distribution of arginase activity among different subcellular liver fractions. Separation of basic and acidic oligomeric forms of arginase by fast-protein liquid chromatography resulted in a slightly different distribution of activity among the forms in the normal and diabetic group. The apparent Km values for Mn2+ of the basic form of the enzyme were 25 and 33 microM for the enzyme from normal and diabetic animals, respectively; for acidic forms, for which two apparent Km values were measured, the values were 8 and 197 microM for arginase from controls and 35 and 537 microM from diabetics. These results indicate that in diabetes, while no marked changes in the physicochemical characteristics of arginase are obvious, some changes are found in the interaction of arginase with its cofactor Mn.     

Association between platelet monoamine oxidase activity and hematocrit in childhood autism

Platelet monoamine oxidase activity was strongly, negatively associated with hematocrit and hemoglobin in male autistic children, unlike the nonsignificant positive relation in normal male controls. Platelet monoamine oxidase activity and hematocrit were also negatively related, although with less strength, in other childhood psychiatric patients and in male relatives of autistic children.     

Kinetic behaviour of acid phosphatase-albumin co-polymers in homogeneous phase and under gel-immobilized conditions.

1. Antiserum raised to purified human liver monoamine oxidase was used to characterize the monoamine oxidase from human liver, brain cortex, placenta and platelets. 2. Antibodies to monoamine oxidase were purified by adsorption with a mitochondrial preparation. 3. Monoamine oxidase was present in liver particle-free supernatant as measured by enzyme activity and immunodiffusion. 4. Multiple precipitin lines were obtained on immunodiffusion analysis against the purified liver enzyme. It is proposed that this is due to either aggregation or to differential lipid binding. 5. The results suggest that the functionally different enzymes found in liver, brain cortex, platelets and placenta are immunochemically related and may be identical.     

Isoenzyme composition of human plasma monoamine oxidase in normal subjects and in fibrotic liver disease.

Hydroxyapatite column chromatography elution profile reveals characteristic differences between monoamine oxidase (MAO) isolated from normal human plasma and from patients with hemochromatosis having hepatic fibrosis. In normal plasma, the alpha form constitutes about 84% of the enzyme, with the remainder in the beta and gamma forms. By contrast, in hemochromatosis there is less alpha form (less than 40%), an additional alpha1 form (about 20%) which was eluted immediately after alpha form, increased beta form (more than 25%), and no significant difference in gamma form. When calculated on the basis of total amount per liter, hemochromatosis is characterized by elevation of beta form (3- to 10-fold) and the presence of alpha1. These results also appear to indicate that the multiple forms separated by hydroxyapatite column chromatography represent true multiplicity of human plasma MAO in vivo.     

Kinetic mechanism of monoamine oxidase A

Steady-state kinetic data for monoamine oxidase A in crude extracts suggest an exclusively ping-pong mechanism, in contrast to those for monoamine oxidase B, which indicate alternate mechanisms involving either a binary or ternary complex. In this study, with use of purified monoamine oxidase A, steady-state data for the inhibition by D-amphetamine of the oxidation of primary amines indicate the possibility of a ternary complex mechanism for monoamine oxidase A also. Stopped-flow studies demonstrate that the rate of reoxidation of reduced enzyme is enhanced by substrates but not by the product, 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium. Thus, for the A enzyme, the ternary complex with substrate, but not product, is reoxidized at a faster rate than the free, reduced enzyme. For both the A and B forms of monoamine oxidase, the mechanism is determined by competition between alternate pathways on the basis of the relative rate constants and dissociation constants.     

The nature of the electrophoretically separable multiple forms of rat liver monoamine oxidase

1. Treatment of a partly purified preparation of rat liver monoamine oxidase with the chaotropic agent sodium perchlorate caused the enzyme to migrate as a single band of activity of polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis, whereas the untreated enzyme separated into a number of bands. 2. Treatment with the chaotropic agent caused no loss of enzyme activity towards benzylamine, dopamine or tyramine. 3. The activities of the untreated preparation towards different substrates were inhibited to different extents by heat treatment and by some inhibitors. No such differences could be detected after the enzyme preparation had been treated with sodium perchlorate. 4. Lipid material, which could be separated by gel filtration, was liberated from the enzyme preparation by sodium perchlorate treatment. 5. The molecular weight of the treated enzyme was found to be 380000+/-38000. 6. Perchlorate treatment altered the solubility of the enzyme. 7. A continuous assay method for monoamine oxidase is described.     

Cloning, sequencing and heterologous expression of the monoamine oxidase gene from Aspergillus niger

The gene encoding the flavin-containing monoamine oxidase (MAO-N) of the filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger was cloned. MAO-N is the first nonvertebrate monoamine oxidase described to date. Three partial cDNA clones, isolated from an expression library, were used to identify and clone the structural gene (maoN) from an A. niger genomic DNA library. The maoN gene was sequenced, and analysis revealed an open reading frame that codes for a protein of 495 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 55.6 kDa. Sequencing of an internal proteolytic fragment of the purified enzyme confirmed the derived amino acid sequence. Analysis of the deduced amino acid sequence indicates that MAO-N is structurally related to the human monoamine oxidases MAO-A and MAO-B. In particular, the regions known to be involved in the binding of the FAD cofactor show a high degree of homology; however, the conserved cysteine residue to which the flavin cofactor is covalently bound in the mammalian forms is absent in the fungal enzyme. MAO-N has the C-terminal tripeptide Ala-Arg-Leu, which corresponds to the consensus targeting sequence found in many peroxisomal enzymes. The full-length cDNA for MAO-N was expressed in Escherichia coli from the T7 promoter of the expression vector pET3a, yielding a soluble and fully active enzyme form.     

Cloning,sequencing and heterologous expression of the monoamine oxidase gene from Aspergillus niger

The gene encoding the flavin-containing monoamine oxidase (MAO-N) of the filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger was cloned. MAO-N is the first nonvertebrate monoamine oxidase described to date. Three partial cDNA clones, isolated from an expression library, were used to identify and clone the structural gene (maoN) from an A. niger genomic DNA library. The maoN gene was sequenced, and analysis revealed an open reading frame that codes for a protein of 495 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 55.6 kDa. Sequencing of an internal proteolytic fragment of the purified enzyme confirmed the derived amino acid sequence. Analysis of the deduced amino acid sequence indicates that MAO-N is structurally related to the human monoamine oxidases MAO-A and MAO-B. In particular, the regions known to be involved in the binding of the FAD cofactor show a high degree of homology; however, the conserved cysteine residue to which the flavin cofactor is covalently bound in the mammalian forms is absent in the fungal enzyme. MAO-N has the C-terminal tripeptide Ala-Arg-Leu, which corresponds to the consensus targeting sequence found in many peroxisomal enzymes. The full-length cDNA for MAO-N was expressed in Escherichia coli from the T7 promoter of the expression vector pET3a, yielding a soluble and fully active enzyme form.     

Brain monoamine oxidase in schizophrenia

The content of SH-groups and substrate specificity have been studied in purified preparations of monoamine oxidase (MAO) from human brain. It has been shown that both in schizophrenic and mentally normal persons MAO occurs in a partially oxidized state. The enzyme contains 2 SH-groups per 10(5) daltons of protein and deaminates MAO substrates (serotonin, beta-phenylethylamine) along with histamine, diamine oxidase substrate. Reduction of the partially oxidized SH-groups of MAO in schizophrenics up to 15 SH-groups per 10(5) daltons of protein (the normal value for human brain MAO) does not eliminate the histamine deaminase activity as is the case in experiments with MAO from the normal brain but, on the contrary, considerably potentiates it. The data suggest certain structural alteration of MAO in schizophrenia.