Dopamine-derived biological reactive intermediates and protein modifications: Implications for Parkinson's disease

Dopamine (DA) undergoes monoamine oxidase catalyzed oxidative deamination to 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetaldehyde (DOPAL), which is metabolized primarily to 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) via aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). Previous studies demonstrated DOPAL to be neurotoxic, more so than DA and other metabolites, and implicated the aldehyde intermediate as a factor in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the mechanism for generation of DOPAL at aberrant levels and the pathways for toxicity are not conclusively known. Various models for DA catabolism revealed the susceptibility of DOPAL biotransformation (e.g., ALDH) to products of oxidative stress, e.g., 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal, at physiologic/pathologic levels and agents that induce oxidative stress. An elevated concentration of DOPAL correlated with increased protein modification with subsequent work demonstrating significant reactivity of the DA-derived electrophile toward protein nucleophiles compared to DA and other metabolites, e.g., DOPAC. The addition of DOPAL to proteins proceeds via reaction of the aldehyde with Lys residues, yielding a Schiff base; however, post-adduction chemistry occurs for the DOPAL-modification resulting in protein cross-linking. Preliminary work indicates enzymes in DA synthesis and catabolism to be cellular targets for DOPAL. Functional consequences for elevated levels of the DA-derived aldehyde and protein modification may include adverse cellular effects. These data implicate DOPAL as a toxic and reactive intermediate potentially serving as a "chemical trigger" for some stage of PD pathogenesis.     

Selective dopaminergic vulnerability: 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetaldehyde targets mitochondria

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a major cause of age-related morbidity and mortality, present in nearly 1% of individuals at ages 70-79 and approximately 2.5% of individuals at age 85. L-DOPA (L-dihydroxyphenylalanine), which is metabolized to dopamine by dopa decarboxylase, is the primary therapy for PD, but may also contribute to disease progression. Association between mitochondrial dysfunction, monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity, and dopaminergic neurotoxicity has been repeatedly observed, but the mechanisms underlying selective dopaminergic neuron depletion in aging and neurodegenerative disorders remain unclear. We now report that 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetaldehyde (DOPAL), the MAO metabolite of dopamine, is more cytotoxic in neuronally differentiated PC12 cells than dopamine and several of its metabolites. In isolated, energetically compromised mitochondria, physiological concentrations of DOPAL induced the permeability transition (PT), a trigger for cell death. Dopamine was > 1000-fold less potent. PT inhibitors protected both mitochondria and cells against DOPAL. Sensitivity to DOPAL was reduced > or = 30-fold in fully energized mitochondria, suggesting that mitochondrial respiration may increase resistance to PT induction by the endogenous DOPAL in the substantia nigra. These data provide a potential mechanism of action for L-DOPA-mediated neurotoxicity and suggest two potentially interactive mechanisms for the selective vulnerability of neurons exposed to dopamine.     

Oxidation of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetaldehyde, a toxic dopaminergic metabolite, to a semiquinone radical and an ortho-quinone

The oxidation and toxicity of dopamine is believed to contribute to the selective neurodegeneration associated with Parkinson disease. The formation of reactive radicals and quinones greatly contributes to dopaminergic toxicity through a variety of mechanisms. The physiological metabolism of dopamine to 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetaldehyde (DOPAL) via monoamine oxidase significantly increases its toxicity. To more adequately explain this enhanced toxicity, we hypothesized that DOPAL is capable of forming radical and quinone species upon oxidation. Here, two unique oxidation products of DOPAL are identified. Several different oxidation methods gave rise to a transient DOPAL semiquinone radical, which was characterized by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. NMR identified the second oxidation product of DOPAL as the ortho-quinone. Also, carbonyl hydration of DOPAL in aqueous media was evident via NMR. Interestingly, the DOPAL quinone exists exclusively in the hydrated form. Furthermore, the enzymatic and chemical oxidation of DOPAL greatly enhance protein cross-linking, whereas auto-oxidation results in the production of superoxide. Also, DOPAL was shown to be susceptible to oxidation by cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). The involvement of this physiologically relevant enzyme in both oxidative stress and Parkinson disease underscores the potential importance of DOPAL in the pathogenesis of this condition.     

Rotenone decreases intracellular aldehyde dehydrogenase activity: implications for the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease

Repeated systemic administration of the mitochondrial complex I inhibitor rotenone produces a rodent model of Parkinson's disease (PD). Mechanisms of relatively selective rotenone‐induced damage to nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons remain incompletely understood. According to the ‘catecholaldehyde hypothesis,’ buildup of the autotoxic dopamine metabolite 3,4‐dihydroxyphenylacetaldehyde (DOPAL) contributes to PD pathogenesis. Vesicular uptake blockade increases DOPAL levels, and DOPAL is detoxified mainly by aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). We tested whether rotenone interferes with vesicular uptake and intracellular ALDH activity. Endogenous and F‐labeled catechols were measured in PC12 cells incubated with rotenone (0–1000 nM, 180 min), without or with F‐dopamine (2 μM) to track vesicular uptake and catecholamine metabolism. Rotenone dose dependently increased DOPAL, F‐DOPAL, and 3,4‐dihydroxyphenylethanol (DOPET) levels while decreasing dopamine and 3,4‐dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) levels and the ratio of dopamine to the sum of its deaminated metabolites. In test tubes, rotenone did not affect conversion of DOPAL to DOPAC by ALDH when NAD⁺ was supplied, whereas the direct‐acting ALDH inhibitor benomyl markedly increased DOPAL and decreased DOPAC concentrations in the reaction mixtures. We propose that rotenone builds up intracellular DOPAL by decreasing ALDH activity and attenuating vesicular sequestration of cytoplasmic catecholamines. The results provide a novel mechanism for selective rotenone‐induced toxicity in dopaminergic neurons.

     

Inhibition of Aldehyde Dehydrogenases in Rat Brain and Liver by Disulfiram and Coprine

Abstract: Rats were treated with either coprine or disulfiram and the inhibition of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) in liver and brain mitochondria was measured with acetaldehyde, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetaldehyde (DOPAL), and succinate semialdehyde at different concentrations. The inhibition pattern was similar for both inhibitors, but the degree of inhibition was lower with disulfiram. The ALDH activity both in the liver and the brain was inhibited at low concentrations of acetaldehyde and DOPAL, but not with succinate semialdehyde. The high- K _m enzyme activities with acetaldehyde were not inhibited in liver and brain. The activity at high concentration of DOPAL was inhibited in the liver, but only slightly affected in the brain, suggesting the presence of a brain enzyme with an intermediate K _m value for DOPAL. In contrast with the results observed in viva, it was found that the high- K _m activities with acetaldehyde and DOPAL in brain mitochondrial preparations were more sensitive to the inhibitors in vitro than the low- K _m activities. Kinetic studies on ALDH preparations from brain and liver mitochondria suggested that acetaldehyde and DOPAL are metabolized by the same low- K _m ALDH.     

Oligomerization and Membrane-binding Properties of Covalent Adducts Formed by the Interaction of α-Synuclein with the Toxic Dopamine Metabolite 3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetaldehyde (DOPAL)

Oxidative deamination of dopamine produces the highly toxic aldehyde 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetaldehyde (DOPAL), enhanced production of which is found in post-mortem brains of Parkinson disease patients. When injected into the substantia nigra of rat brains, DOPAL causes the loss of dopaminergic neurons accompanied by the accumulation of potentially toxic oligomers of the presynaptic protein α-synuclein (aS), potentially explaining the synergistic toxicity described for dopamine metabolism and aS aggregation. In this work, we demonstrate that DOPAL interacts with aS via formation of Schiff-base and Michael-addition adducts with Lys residues, in addition to causing oxidation of Met residues to Met-sulfoxide. DOPAL modification leads to the formation of small aS oligomers that may be cross-linked by DOPAL. Both monomeric and oligomeric DOPAL adducts potently inhibit the formation of mature amyloid fibrils by unmodified aS. The binding of aS to either lipid vesicles or detergent micelles, which results in a gain of α-helix structure in its N-terminal lipid-binding domain, protects the protein against DOPAL adduct formation and, consequently, inhibits DOPAL-induced aS oligomerization. Functionally, aS-DOPAL monomer exhibits a reduced affinity for small unilamellar vesicles with lipid composition similar to synaptic vesicles, in addition to diminished membrane-induced α-helical content in comparison with the unmodified protein. These results suggest that DOPAL could compromise the functionality of aS, even in the absence of protein oligomerization, by affecting the interaction of aS with lipid membranes and hence its role in the regulation of synaptic vesicle traffic in neurons.     

Acrolein produced from polyamines as one of the uraemic toxins

It is well known that the addition of spermine or spermidine to culture medium containing ruminant serum inhibits cellular proliferation. This effect is caused by the products of oxidation of polyamines that are generated by serum amine oxidase. Among the products, we found that acrolein is a major toxic compound produced from spermine and spermidine by amine oxidase. We then analysed the level of polyamines (putrescine, spermidine and spermine) and amine oxidase activity in plasma of patients with chronic renal failure. It was found that the levels of putrescine and the amine oxidase activity were increased, whereas spermidine and spermine were decreased in plasma of patients with chronic renal failure. The levels of free and protein-conjugated acrolein were also increased in plasma of patients with chronic renal failure. An increase in putrescine, amine oxidase and acrolein in plasma was observed in all cases such as diabetic nephropathy, chronic glomerulonephritis and nephrosclerosis. These results suggest that acrolein is produced during the early stage of nephritis through kidney damage and also during uraemia through accumulation of polyamines in blood due to the decrease in their excretion into urine.     

Stereochemistry and kinetic isotope effects in the bovine plasma amine oxidase catalyzed oxidation of dopamine.

The stereochemistry of the bovine plasma amine oxidase catalyzed oxidation of 2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-ethylamine (domapine) has been investigated by comparing 3H/14C ratios of 3,4-dibenzyloxyphenethyl alcohols, derived from 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetaldehydes, to starting dopamines chirally labeled at C-1 and C-2. The oxidation of [2RS-3H]-, [2R-3H]-, and [2S-3H]dopamine leads to products which have retained 53, 59, and 47% of their tritium. Similarly, oxidation of [1RS-3H]-, [1R-3H]-, and [1S-3H]dopamine leads to an 80, 80, and 92% retention of tritium. The configurational purity of tritium at C-2 of dopamine and C-1 of the dopamine precursor 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenethylamine has been confirmed employing dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (specific for the pro-R hydrogen at C-2) and pea seedling amine oxidase (specific for the pro-S hydrogen at C-1). In addition, chromatographically resolved isozymes of bovine plasma amine oxidase have been demonstrated to lead to the same stereochemical result as pooled enzyme fractions. We have been able to rule out carbon interchange and tritium transfer in the ethylamine side chain of dopamine as the source of the apparent nonstereospecificity. Estimated primary tritium isotope effects are 1 for [2-3H]dopamines and 5--6 and 26--34 for [1R-3H]- and [1S-3H]dopamine, respectively. We propose the presence of alternate dopamine binding modes, characterized by absolute but opposing stereochemistries and differential primary tritium isotope effects at C-1.     

Contribution of aldehyde oxidizing enzymes on the metabolism of 3,4-dimethoxy-2-phenylethylamine to 3,4-dimethoxyphenylacetic acid by guinea pig liver slices.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: 3,4-Dimethoxy-2-phenylethylamine is catalyzed to its aldehyde derivative by monoamine oxidase B, but the subsequent oxidation into the corresponding acid has not yet been studied. Oxidation of aromatic aldehydes is catalyzed mainly by aldehyde dehydrogenase and aldehyde oxidase. METHODS: The present study examines the metabolism of 3,4-dimethoxy-2-phenylethylamine in vitro and in freshly prepared and cryopreserved guinea pig liver slices and the relative contribution of different aldehyde-oxidizing enzymes was estimated by pharmacological means. RESULTS: 3,4-Dimethoxy-2- phenylethylamine was converted into the corresponding aldehyde when incubated with monoamine oxidase and further oxidized into the acid when incubated with both, monoamine oxidase and aldehyde oxidase. In freshly prepared and cryopreserved liver slices, 3,4-dimethoxyphenylacetic acid was the main metabolite of 3,4-dimethoxy-2- phenylethylamine. 3,4-Dimethoxyphenylacetic acid formation was inhibited by 85% from disulfiram (aldehyde dehydrogenase inhibitor) and by 75-80% from isovanillin (aldehyde oxidase inhibitor), whereas allopurinol (xanthine oxidase inhibitor) inhibited acid formation by only 25-30%. CONCLUSIONS: 3,4- Dimethoxy-2-phenylethylamine is oxidized mainly to its acid, via 3,4-dimethoxyphenylacetaldehyde, by aldehyde dehydrogenase and aldehyde oxidase with a lower contribution from xanthine oxidase.     

N-Acetylcysteine Prevents the Increase in Spontaneous Oxidation of Dopamine During Monoamine Oxidase Inhibition in PC12 Cells

The catecholaldehyde hypothesis for the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease proposes that the deaminated dopamine metabolite 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetaldehyde (DOPAL) is toxic to nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons. Inhibiting monoamine oxidase (MAO) should therefore slow the disease progression; however, MAO inhibition increases spontaneous oxidation of dopamine, as indicated by increased 5-S-cysteinyl-dopamine (Cys-DA) levels, and the oxidation products may also be toxic. This study examined whether N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a precursor of the anti-oxidant glutathione, attenuates the increase in Cys-DA production during MAO inhibition. Rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells were incubated with NAC, the MAO-B inhibitor selegiline, or both. Selegiline decreased DOPAL and increased Cys-DA levels (p?<?0.0001 each). Co-incubation of NAC at pharmacologically relevant concentrations (1–10 µM) with selegiline (1 µM) attenuated or prevented the Cys-DA response to selegiline, without interfering with the selegiline-induced decrease in DOPAL production or inhibiting tyrosine hydroxylation. NAC therefore mitigates the increase in spontaneous oxidation of dopamine during MAO inhibition.

     

Stereochemical trends in copper amine oxidase reactions

Copper amine oxidases (EC 1.4.3.6) exhibit atypical stereochemical patterns in the reactions they catalyze. Dopamine and tyramine are oxidized with abstraction of the pro-R hydrogen by the porcine plasma amine oxidase, the pro-S hydrogen by pea seedling amine oxidase and a net nonstereospecific proton abstraction by the bovine plasma enzyme. This provides the first example in which a reaction catalyzed by enzymes in the same formal class occurs by all three possible stereochemical routes. To assess the underlying mechanistic significance of this heterogeneity, we have established the stereochemical course of the oxidation of tyramine by five additional copper amine oxidases using 1H NMR spectroscopy. Reactions catalyzed by rabbit and sheep serum amine oxidases are nonstereospecific. These enzymes exhibit rare mirror image binding with differential flux through two opposite and stereospecific reaction pathways. Differential primary kinetic isotope effects are observed for each mode, 8 and 4.6 for pro-S abstraction and 2.6 and 2.7 for pro-R abstraction by the sheep and rabbit amine oxidases, respectively. Tyramine oxidations catalyzed by the soybean and chick pea amine oxidases and porcine kidney diamine oxidase, however, are all stereospecific, occurring with loss of the pro-S hydrogen at C-1. Solvent exchange profiles are consistent within each stereochemical class of enzyme; the pro-R and nonstereospecific enzymes exchange solvent into C-2 of product aldehydes, the pro-S enzymes do not.     

3,4-Dihydroxyphenylethanol (Hydroxytyrosol) Mitigates the Increase in Spontaneous Oxidation of Dopamine During Monoamine Oxidase Inhibition in PC12 Cells

The catecholaldehyde hypothesis predicts that monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibition should slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease, by decreasing production of the autotoxic dopamine metabolite 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetaldehyde (DOPAL). Inhibiting MAO, however, diverts the fate of cytoplasmic dopamine toward potentially harmful spontaneous oxidation products, indicated by increased 5-S-cysteinyl-dopamine (Cys-DA) levels. 3,4-Dihydroxyphenylethanol (hydroxytyrosol) is an abundant anti-oxidant phenol in constituents of the Mediterranean diet. Whether hydroxytyrosol alters enzymatic or spontaneous oxidation of dopamine has been unknown. Rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells were incubated with hydroxytyrosol (10 µM, 180 min) alone or with the MAO-A inhibitor clorgyline (1 nM) or the MAO-B inhibitors rasagiline or selegiline (0.5 µM). Hydroxytyrosol decreased levels of DOPAL by 30 % and Cys-DA by 49 % (p < 0.0001 each). Co-incubation with hydroxytyrosol prevented the increases in Cys-DA seen with all 3 MAO inhibitors. Hydroxytyrosol therefore inhibits both enzymatic and spontaneous oxidation of endogenous dopamine and mitigates the increase in spontaneous oxidation during MAO inhibition.     

Monitoring the Stimulated Release of Dopamine with In Vivo Voltammetry. II: Clearance of Released Dopamine from Extracellular Fluid

Microvoltammetric electrodes implanted in the caudate nucleus of the anesthetized rat have been used to monitor dopamine released following electrical stimulation of the medial forebrain bundle. These electrodes are fabricated from unmodified carbon fibers and have been used with normal pulse voltammetry. Dopamine appears in the vicinity of the electrode when the stimulation is initiated, and disappears almost immediately when the stimulation is terminated. The data suggest that the effective diffusion distance is less than 100 micron. Postmortem analysis using liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection shows that dopamine released in this manner is metabolized to 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC); however, neither substance is observed electrochemically in the extracellular fluid within seconds after the stimulation. In addition, inhibitors of neuronal uptake of dopamine, amphetamine (1.8 or 15 mg X kg-1) or benztropine (25 mg X kg-1), or of dopamine metabolism, pargyline (150 mg X kg-1) or tropolone (100 mg X kg-1), do not significantly affect the rate at which dopamine disappears from extracellular fluid, although they can affect the amount released. These results suggest that dopamine cannot freely diffuse in the extracellular fluid because an extraneuronal uptake mechanism exists that clears dopamine from extracellular fluid into an extraneuronal pool where metabolism to 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid occurs. Dopamine can be observed during electrical stimulation of the ascending fibers because neuronal and extraneuronal uptake systems are unable to remove dopamine on these short time scales.     

Three types of stereospecificity and the kinetic deuterium isotope effect in the oxidative deamination of dopamine as catalyzed by different amine oxidases

When the stereospecifically deuterated dopamine enantiomers, (R)- and (S)-[alpha-2H1]dopamine, are incubated with amine oxidases, the deuterium atom may be either retained to form monodeuterated 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetaldehyde, or eliminated to produce the nondeuterated or protio-aldehyde product. These two aldehydes can be separated from one another and identified by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. Three types of stereospecific abstraction of a hydrogen from the alpha-carbon of dopamine during deamination have been observed. In the first type, the pro-R hydrogen is removed from the alpha-carbon. Enzymes in this category are mitochondrial monoamine oxidases A and B, as isolated from different tissues and species. The second type of deamination involves the abstraction of pro-S hydrogen from the alpha-carbon of dopamine. Soluble enzymes, such as rat aorta benzylamine oxidase or diamine oxidase from hog kidney and pea seedling, have been found to belong to this group. Bovine plasma amine oxidase exhibits the third type of deamination where no absolute stereospecificity is required. This enzyme catalyzes the oxidation of either (S)- or (R)-[alpha-2H1]dopamine, preferably breaking the C-H bond rather than the C-2H bond in both cases. The kinetic deuterium isotope effect during the deamination of dopamine catalyzed by the different amine oxidases varies greatly; VH/VD ranges from 1.5 to 5.5. The high magnitude of the isotope effect suggests that hydrogen abstraction may be the rate-limiting step (i.e., in reactions catalyzed by benzylamine oxidase and monoamine oxidase). When the isotope effect is low (i.e., for diamine oxidases from hog kidney or pea seedling), it is uncertain if the breaking of the bond is rate limiting.     

Amine oxidase substrates for impaired glucose tolerance correction

Amine oxidases are widely distributed from microorganisms to vertebrates and produce hydrogen peroxide plus aldehyde when catabolizing endogenous or xenobiotic amines. Novel roles have been attributed to several members of the amine oxidase families, which cannot be anymore considered as simple amine scavengers. Semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase (SSAO) is abundantly expressed in mammalian endothelial, smooth muscle, and fat cells, and plays a role in lymphocyte adhesion to vascular wall, arterial fiber elastic maturation, and glucose transport, respectively. This latter role was studied in detail and the perspectives of insulin-like actions of amine oxidase substrates are discussed in the present review. Independent studies have demonstrated that SSAO substrates and monoamine oxidase substrates mimic diverse insulin effects in adipocytes: glucose transport activation, lipogenesis stimulation and lipolysis inhibition. These substrates also stimulate in vitro adipogenesis. Acute in vivo administration of amine oxidase substrates improves glucose tolerance in rats, mice and rabbits, while chronic treatments with benzylamine plus vanadate exert an antihyperglycaemic effect in diabetic rats. Dietary supplementations with methylamine, benzylamine or tyramine have been proven to influence metabolic control in rodents by increasing glucose tolerance or decreasing lipid mobilisation, without noticeable changes in the plasma markers of lipid peroxidation or protein glycation, despite adverse effects on vasculature. Thus, the ingested amines are not totally metabolized at the intestinal level and can act on adipose and vascular tissues. In regard with this influence on metabolic control, more attention must be paid to the composition or supplementation in amines in foods and nutraceutics.     

Kinetics and specificity of guinea pig liver aldehyde oxidase and bovine milk xanthine oxidase towards substituted benzaldehydes

Molybdenum-containing enzymes, aldehyde oxidase and xanthine oxidase, are important in the oxidation of N-heterocyclic xenobiotics. However, the role of these enzymes in the oxidation of drug-derived aldehydes has not been established. The present investigation describes the interaction of eleven structurally related benzaldehydes with guinea pig liver aldehyde oxidase and bovine milk xanthine oxidase, since they have similar substrate specificity to human molybdenum hydroxylases. The compounds under test included mono-hydroxy and mono-methoxy benzaldehydes as well as 3,4-dihydroxy-, 3-hydroxy-4-methoxy-, 4-hydroxy-3-methoxy-, and 3,4-dimethoxy-benzaldehydes. In addition, various amines and catechols were tested with the molybdenum hydroxylases as inhibitors of benzaldehyde oxidation. The kinetic constants have shown that hydroxy-, and methoxy-benzaldehydes are excellent substrates for aldehyde oxidase (Km values 5x10(-6) M to 1x10(-5) M) with lower affinities for xanthine oxidase (Km values around 10(-4) M). Therefore, aldehyde oxidase activity may be a significant factor in the oxidation of the aromatic aldehydes generated from amines and alkyl benzenes during drug metabolism. Compounds with a 3-methoxy group showed relatively high Vmax values with aldehyde oxidase, whereas the presence of a 3-hydroxy group resulted in minimal Vmax values or no reaction. In addition, amines acted as weak inhibitors, whereas catechols had a more pronounced inhibitory effect on the aldehyde oxidase activity. It is therefore possible that aldehyde oxidase may be critical in the oxidation of the analogous phenylacetaldehydes derived from dopamine and noradrenaline.     

Reaction pathway of bovine aortic lysyl oxidase

The catalysis of amine oxidation by lysyl oxidase has been probed to assess for the likely order of substrate binding and product release and to discriminate between mechanistic alternatives previously proposed for other copper-dependent amine oxidases using molecular oxygen as a substrate. Lineweaver-Burk plots revealed a pattern of parallel lines when the oxidation of n-butylamine was followed at different fixed concentrations of oxygen consistent with a "ping-pong" kinetic mechanism in which the aldehyde is produced and released before the binding of oxygen, the second substrate. Initial burst experiments revealed the ability of lysyl oxidase to form and release n-butyraldehyde in amounts stoichiometric with functional active site content in the absence of oxygen, consistent with the ping-pong kinetics obtained. Reciprocal plots of n-butylamine oxidation in the presence of fixed concentrations of the reaction products were consistent with a Uni Uni Uni Bi ping-pong kinetic mechanism with the aldehyde being the first, H2O2 the second, and ammonia the last departing product. Moreover, spectral studies of the oxidation of p-hydroxybenzylamine by lysyl oxidase indicated that the enzyme does not process the amine substrate to a noncovalently bound p-hydroxybenzaldimine intermediate subsequently to be hydrolyzed to p-hydroxybenzaldehyde. The kinetic mechanism of lysyl oxidase thus appears to be similar to those described for diamine oxidase and pig plasma monoamine oxidase.     

Aldehyde dehydrogenase activity in brain and liver of the rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri Richardson)

Aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activity was measured in brain and liver of rainbow trout by using 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetaldehyde (DOPAL, the biogenic aldehyde derived from dopamine) as the substrate. The amount of the corresponding acid produced was quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. Both in brain and liver, the ALDH activity showed a high affinity for the substrate with an apparent Km of 3.7 microM in brain and 2.4 microM in liver. The kinetic experiments with brain ALDH also indicated the presence of an isozyme with a low affinity for DOPAL with a Km around 150 microM. The Vmax of the liver ALDH activity varied between 179 and 536 nmol/min.g, i.e., about 25-75 times higher than that of the low-Km activity in brain. The ALDH activity showed a maximum around pH 8.5, it was stimulated by Mg2+, and disulfiram was found to be a potent inhibitor of the enzyme. The results suggested that the majority of the ALDH activity was located in mitochondria (60-70% with regard to the brain and 70-80% with regard to the liver), while the remaining activity appeared to be cytosolic in both organs. No microsomal ALDH activity could be found.     

Biotransformation of dopamine to norlaudanosoline by Aspergillus niger

Norlaundanosoline is a key intermediate in the synthesis of the benzylisoquinoline alkaloids providing the upper isoquinoline portion of the morphinan skeleton. This study evaluates the feasibility of using Aspergillus niger as an in situ biotransformation system to produce norlaudanosoline from dopamine. A. niger was chosen because monoamine oxidase can be readily induced in this organism. Monoamine oxidase catalyzes the conversion of dopamine to 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetaldehyde. In the presence of dopamine, this aldehyde will then undergo a spontaneous Picket-Spengler condensation to form norlaudanosoline. Fermentation condition to form norlaudanosoline. Fermentation conditions were optimized for the production monoamine oxidase by using a two-stage process consisting of a growth stage and an induction stage. pH control was found to be important, and at pH 4.5 dopamine accumulation in the cells was high as was the level of monoamine oxidase. With pH control at 4.5, up to 21% of the cellular dopamine was converted to norlaudanosoline. It is proposed that with further protein engineering improvements, this system may prove suitable for the in situ bio-transformation of dopamine to norlaudanosoline.     

Aldehyde Dehydrogenases in Rat Brain. Subcellular Distribution and Properties

Abstract: Kinetic studies suggested the presence of several forms of NAD-dependent aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) in rat brain. A subcellular distribution study showed that low- and high- K _m activities with acetaldehyde as well as the substrate-specific enzyme succinate semialdehyde dehydrogenase were located mainly in the mitochondrial compartment. The low- K _m activity was also present in the cytosol (<20%). The low- K _m activity in the homogenate was only 10–15% of the total activity with acetaldehyde as the substrate. Two K _m values were obtained with both acetaldehyde (0.2 and 2000 μ m ) and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetaldehyde (DOPAL) (0.3 and 31 μ m ), and one K _m value with succinate semialdehyde (5 μ m ). The main part of the aldehyde dehydrogenase activities with acetaldehyde, DOPAL, and succinate semialdehyde, but only little activity of the marker enzyme for the outer membrane (monoamine oxidase, MAO), was released from a purified mitochondrial fraction subjected to sonication. Only small amounts of the ALDH activities were released from mitochondria subjected to swelling in a hypotonic buffer, whereas the main part of the marker enzyme for the intermembrane space (adenylate kinase) was released. These results indicate that the ALDH activities with acetaldehyde, DOPAL and succinate semialdehyde are located in the matrix compartment. The low- K _m activity with acetaldehyde and DOPAL, but not the high- K _m activities and succinate semialdehyde dehydrogenase, was markedly stimulated by Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺ in phosphate buffer. The low- and high- K _m activities with acetaldehyde showed different pH optima in pyrophosphate buffer.