CHARACTERIZATION OF THE Ca2+-INDUCED PROTEOLYTIC ACTIVATION OF TRYPTOPHAN HYDROXYLASE FROM THE RAT BRAIN STEM

The incubation of the 35,000 g supernatant of a rat brain stem homogenate in the presence of 7.5 mM-CaC1₂ for 10 min at 25°C resulted in a more than 2-fold increase in its tryptophan hydroxylase activity. This activation was irreversible and involved a reduction in the molecular weight of the enzyme, from 220,000 to 160,000. The partially proteolysed tryptophan hydroxylase, in contrast to the native enzyme, could not be activated by trypsin, sodium dodecyl sulphate, phosphatidylserine or phosphorylating conditions; dithiothreitol and Fe²⁺ were the only compounds whose stimulating effect on the enzymatic activity was not prevented by the Ca²⁺ -induced proteolysis of tryptophan hydroxylase. These findings suggest that the mol. wt. 60,000 fragment removed by the Ca²⁺ dependent neutral proteinase plays a critical role in the regulatory properties of tryptophan hydroxylase.     

DEVELOPMENTAL CHANGES IN Na+, K+ AND ATP AND IN THE LEVELS AND TRANSPORT OF AMINO ACIDS IN INCUBATED SLICES OF RAT BRAIN

Abstract—

• 1 Upon incubation, slices of brain tissue took up fluid; the degree of swelling increased with increasing age. No sweiling occurred in slices from foetal brain. Since this swelling was associated with increases in the inulin space, the percentage of inulin space in slices at the end of incubation increased during brain development.
• 2 Most of the capacity for ion transport seemed to be absent from foetal brain. In vivo and in slices, Na⁺ was very high and K⁺ was very low in comparison to levels at other ages. There was a rapid change around birth, but no significant change at later ages. Upon incubation, Na⁺ levels increased in other slices, but not in slices of foetal brain.
• 3 Upon incubation of the slices, ATP levels were restored to levels close to those in the living brain; there were no significant alterations in available energy during development to explain changes in amino acid transport.
• 4 The composition of the free pool of cerebral amino acids in vivo changed with development, with some compounds (glutamic acid and related compounds) increasing, others (mostly‘essential’amino acids) decreasing, with age. These changes were not linear with time, and the level of a compound might exhibit several peaks during development.
• 5 The uptake (influx) of taurine, glutamate and glycine into brain slices increased rapidly during the foetal and early neonatal periods, reached a maximum between 2 and 3 weeks of postnatal age and then declined to adult levels. The levels of steady-state uptake with glycine also exhibited a maximal peak at 2-3 weeks of postnatal age. Steady-state uptake of taurine and glutamate reached adult levels by about 3 weeks of age.
• 6 The pattern of inhibition of amino acid transport by two specific amino acid analogues changed during development for some amino acids (GABA, glycine and glutamate), indicating an alteration in substrate specificity.
• 7 The results demonstrate complex changes in cerebral amino acid transport during development, with several maxima or minima and with changes in specificity for at least some compounds.

     

THE DISTRIBUTION OF AMINO ACIDS, Na+ AND K+ FROM SURFACE TO CENTRE IN INCUBATED SLICES OF MOUSE BRAIN

—The effect of tissue damage on the uptake of amino acids by brain slices was investigated by measuring uptake in slices of different thickness and measuring the distribution of [¹⁴C]-labelled amino acid on the surface and in the centre of incubated slices. The uptake of glutamate, aspartate, and GABA was greater in 0.1 mm-thick slices than in 0.42 mm-thick slices in short and in long (up to 120 min) incubations; the uptake of other amino acids was equal or greater in the 0.42 mm-thick slices. The water content of incubated slices did not change greatly from surface to centre; inulin space was greater at the surface, and in slices from cortex, especially higher at the cut surface. Na⁺ and K⁺ concentrations were also higher at the surface. In the rest of the slice space, inulin, Na⁺ and K⁺ distribution was quite uniform. The distribution of ATP was inhomogeneous: in thinner slices the centre concentration was higher; in thicker slices the centre concentration was lower. Amino acid uptake initially (at 5 min) was higher at the surface, especially in the thicker slices; after longer time (30 min) incubation, the distribution of lysine and leucine was uniform, and glutamate uptake was greater at the surface. The inhomogeneity of distribution increased with increasing thickness of the slices. We concluded that the uptake of some amino acids (perhaps those for which, beside a low affinity transport, also a higher affinity transport system exists) is greater in thinner slices and greater on the surface of slices, and there is an initially inhomogeneous distribution during amino acid uptake. The uptake on the surface constitutes only a small portion of the total uptake, and tissue damage does not explain the greater uptake of amino acids by slices in comparison to the brain in vivo. This shows the higher transport capacity of cells in the brain and emphasizes the importance of mechanisms controlling the metabolite composition of the extracellular fluid in finally influencing the metabolite composition of the brain itself.     

RAT BRAIN STEM TRYPTOPHAN HYDROXYLASE: MECHANISM OF ACTIVATION BY CALCIUM

Abstract— The activity of soluble tryptophan hydroxylase from rat brain stem was increased in presence of mm concentrations of calcium. Similarly to that observed by treating the enzyme with sodium dodecyl sulphate or trypsin, this activation resulted mainly from an increased affinity of tryptophan hydroxylase for both its substrate, tryptophan, and the cofactor 2-amino-4-hydroxy-6-methyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydropteridine (6-MPH₄). In addition, the optimal pH for the enzymic activity was shifted from 7.6 to 7.9 following activation by calcium, sodium dodecyl sulphate or trypsin.
Under the assay conditions used for measuring tryptophan hydroxylase activity, calcium also stimulated a neutral proteinase. This latter enzyme could be eliminated from the solution of tryptophan hydroxylase by filtration through Sephadex G 200. The resulting partially purified tryptophan hydroxylase could be activated by calcium only when the neutral proteinase was included in the assay mixture. In support of this conclusion, the effect of calcium on tryptophan hydroxylase was very small in the new born rat when the activity of the neutral proteinase was low. In addition, the activating effect of Ca²⁺ could be antagonized not only by a chelating agent like EGTA but also (partially) by specific inhibitors of proteinases such as benzethonium and PMSF.
These results strongly suggest that the activation of tryptophan hydroxylase by calcium is the consequence of a partial proteolysis of the enzyme by the calcium-dependent neutral proteinase. Therefore, the physiological significance of this irreversible effect is doubtful.     

FEEDBACK REGULATION OF 5-HT SYNTHESIS IN RAT STRIATAL SLICES

The effects of changes in intraneuronal levels of 5-HT induced by monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI) given in vivo or exogenous 5-HT added in vitro on 5-HT synthesis in striatal slices of the rat have been examined. The synthesis of 5-HT was estimated by the measurement of the total formation of [³H]5-HT and [³H]5-hydroxyindole acetic acid from [³H]tryptophan and by calculation of the conversion index (CI) of tryptophan into 5-HT. The small formation of [³H]tryptamine and [³H]indole acetic acid from [³H]tryptophan was taken into account in the estimation of 5-HT synthesis. Both MAOI pretreament (180 min) and 5-HT (2·8 μM) inhibited synthesis. The latter effect persisted in catecholamine depleted tissues and was related to intraneuronal changes in 5-HT levels, since it could be prevented by chlorimipramine. The inhibition of 5-HT synthesis was related to the decreased conversion of tryptophan into 5-hydroxytryptophan and could not be prevented by p-chloro-phenylalanine pretreatment which depleted 5-HT levels or by dibutyryl cyclic AMP which normally stimulated 5-HT synthesis. Tryptophan uptake in slices was not affected by exogenous 5-HT. The various mechanisms possibly involved in the end product regulation process of 5-HT synthesis are discussed.     

PROPERTIES AND REGIONAL DISTRIBUTION OF TRYPTOPHAN HYDROXYLASE IN THE CHICKEN BRAIN

Tryptophan hydroxylase in young chicken brain had a pH optimum of 7.5–8, depending on the buffer used. It had apparent K_m values for tryptophan and tetrahydrobiopterin of 49 μM and 32 μM respectively. The enzyme in chicken brain, but not rat brain, was cold-shock labile but was stable for up to 4 days at — 20°C. Lability was observed both in tissues and homogenates of these tissues subjected to cold shock, but the extent of loss of activity varied between brain regions. Supernatant fractions did not lose activity after cold shock. The highest level of tryptophan hydroxylase was found in the rostral region of the chicken brainstem. High levels were also found in the caudal region of the brainstem, the midbrain, thalamus, caudate and cerebral cortex. The cerebellum and optic chiasma contained only traces of activity.     

TRYPTOPHAN LOADING: CONSEQUENT EFFECTS ON THE SYNTHESIS OF KYNURENINE AND 5-HYDROXYINDOLES IN RAT BRAIN

Abstract— Tryptophan loading of rats resulted in a continuous non-linear uptake of l -tryptophan from plasma into the brain. The optimum tryptophan load for increasing cerebral 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) level was 25 mg/kg. Above this, there was a gradual decrease both in the levels and synthesis of 5-HT and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) as assessed from simultaneous intraperitoneal or intraventricular injections of l [¹⁴C]tryptophan. A 5–10 fold increase in cerebral tryptophan produced a limited stimulation of 5-HT synthesis. When the cerebral tryptophan level reached 1 ± 10 -4 , substrate inhibition in vivo of the tryptophan monooxygenase (tryptophan-5-hydroxylase) but not of the indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase occurred. Cerebral synthesis of kynurenine increased linearly with increasing tryptophan load. At a plasma ratio of 50:1 tryptophan to kynurenine, tryptophan loading interfered with the entry of peripheral kynurenine. Tryptophan loading also increased the efflux of 5-hydroxyindoles from the brain. One hour after intraperitoneal injection of l -kynurenine sulfate (5 mg/kg) into rats, there was a shift in the plasma ratio of l -tryptophan to l -kynurenine to 4:1. In these rats, a 20% reduction of cerebral tryptophan was noted.     

PLASMA TRYPTOPHAN AND 5-HT METABOLISM IN THE CNS OF THE NEWBORN RAT

—The relationships between plasma tryptophan and 5-HT metabolism in the CNS were studied in newborn rats and compared with adults. Both the concentration of free tryptophan in plasma and that of the amino-acid in brain were much higher immediately after birth than later on. Drugs such as salicylate and chlordiazepoxide, which increased brain tryptophan concentrations in adults by displacing the plasma amino acid bound to serum albumin, were ineffective in newborn rats: most of the amino acid being already free in their plasma. The study of 5-HT metabolism in brain stem slices revealed that the affinity of the uptake process for tryptophan was higher in newborn than in adult animals, whereas the reverse situation was observed for the enzyme complex involved in 5-HT synthesis (lower apparent K_m in adults). In addition, the catabolism of newly synthesized 5-HT was more rapid in newborn than in adult tissues. Finally, the free state of tryptophan in plasma of newborn animals induced in brain both a high amino acid concentration and, in contrast to the situation observed in adults, a synthesis rate of 5-HT very near its maximal value.     

MEASUREMENTS OF RATES OF PROTEIN SYNTHESIS IN RAT BRAIN SLICES

The use of tracer concentrations of labelled amino acids to measure incorporation in incubated slices of brain results in wide fluctuations with time in the specific activity of the precursor. Using concentrations of about 1 mm of labelled amino acid facilitates the accurate measurement of rates of synthesis. These higher precursor levels in the medium decrease the fluctuations in free amino acid specific activity due to dilution by endogenous amino acid and the production of amino acid by protein degradation, and decrease the lag in incorporation due to transport phenomena. Concentrations of 1 mm amino acid in the medium did not inhibit protein synthesis; with valine, leucine, phenylalanine, lysine and histidine, incorporation rates were similar when measured at trace concentrations and at 1 mm medium levels. The source of amino acid for protein synthesis appears to be intracellular. No evidence could be found for the preferential use of extracellular medium amino acid. The rate of incorporation of amino acids in incubated slices of rat brain was 0.087 per cent of the protein amino acid/h.     

DIURNAL RHYTHM AND TURNOVER OF TRYPTOPHAN HYDROXYLASE IN THE PINEAL GLAND OF THE RAT

Tryptophan hydroxylase in the pineal gland of the rat was found to undergo a diurnal rhythm in activity with an elevated activity at night. The rhythm was abolished in constant light. Cycloheximide (15 mg/kg, i.p.), administered both at night and during the day, caused a rapid decay in activity suggesting that tryptophan hydroxylase was subject to a rapid turnover in vivo. The primary site of control appeared to be at the level of translation since actinomycin D had no effect. Some relevant properties of the enzyme were studied. Thiol-containing compounds were shown to substantially protect pineal tryptophan hydroxylase from inactivation at 0°C but provided little protection at higher temperatures. The inactivation process appeared to be independent of oxygen. The activity of the enzyme, lost after ageing at 0°C. could be recovered by incubation with dithiothreitol under anaerobic conditions. Fresh enzyme, or enzyme inactivated at 37°C could not be activated by this process. A re-examination of the action of p-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA) on pineal tryptophan hydroxylase revealed that an irreversible inactivation occurred within 6h (25% of initial activity) followed by a recovery within 24 h. The rapid turnover of the enzyme is the probable reason for the failure of previous studies to observe an irreversible inhibition of this enzyme by PCPA.     

EARLY RESPONSE OF RAT BRAIN TRYPTOPHAN HYDROXYLASE ACTIVITY TO CYCLOHEXIMIDE, PUROMYCIN AND CORTICOSTERONE

Abstract— The activity of tryptophan hydroxylase was measured in whole homogenates of midbrain and forebrain areas of the rat brain. A significant elevation of tryptophan hydroxylase in midbrain and forebrain was found within 1 h after injection of corticosterone hemisuccinate Na salt (10mg/kg) into normal rats. A further elevation of tryptophan hydroxylase at 4 h after injection occurred only in the midbrain region. A rapid alteration of tryptophan hydroxylase was also observed following intracistemal injection of a protein synthesis inhibitor, cydoheximide. A significant depression of 50% of normal levels occurred both in midbrain and forebrain regions within 1 h. However. 4 h after injection only the midbrain tryptophan hydroxylase level was depressed, and this depression was 16% of normal levels. This temporal and spatial pattern following cydoheximide injection was not the result of changes in the ability of cydoheximide to inhibit in vivo protein synthesis since [³H]valine incorporation into protein was shown to be equally depressed at both 1 and 5 h in both the midbrain and forebrain. Puromycin blocked [³H]valine incorporation into proteins in the midbrain and forebrain. but only caused a depression of 16% of tryptophan hydroxylase in the midbrain at 4 h. The aminonucleoside derivative of puromycin has no effect on protein synthesis or on tryptophan hydroxylase. Cydoheximide had no effect on tryptophan hydroxylase in vitro. The data suggest that cydoheximide and corticosterone produce an early (1 h) effect on tryptophan hydroxylase unrelated to de novo protein synthesis in regions known to contain perikaryon (midbrain) and axon terminals (forebrain) of 5-HT-containing neurons. The later (4h) effects of these two compounds and puromycin on tryptophan hydroxylase in the perikaryon (midbrain) region of 5-HT-containing neurons probably result from alteration in de novo protein synthesis. The half time of tryptophan hydroxylase in midbrain region is calculated to be 12 h.     

THE NATURE OF THE AMINO ACID POOL USED FOR PROTEIN SYNTHESIS IN RAT BRAIN SLICES

The incorporation into brain slice protein of externally provided [1-¹⁴C]valine was measured at varying levels of valine in the medium, under conditions of constant protein synthesis and equilibration of intracellular valine specific activity. The results indicate that the valine pool used for protein synthesis is not identical to the pool of total free valine. Neither does the incorporation solely occur from an extracellular pool which is in equilibrium with the incubation medium. The data are compatible with a two-site activation model in which aminoacylation of tRNA occurs at both an internal site utilizing amino acid from the intracellular pool and an external (possibly membranous) site converting extracellular valine directly to valyl-tRNA. A good fit to the experimental observations is also provided by a compartmented intracellular valine pool model.     

THE SUBCELLULAR DISTRIBUTION AND NUCLEOTIDE SPECIFICITIES OF Na+, K+-STIMULATED ADENOSINE TRIPHOSPHATASE AND [14C]ADENOSINE DIPHOSPHATE-ADENOSINE TRIPHOSPHATE EXCHANGE REACTIONS IN RAT BRAIN

(1) The subcellular distributions of Na-K ATPase and [¹⁴C]ADP-ATP exchange activities were studied in rat brain. The data presented are not consistent with a discrete localization of these enzymes in any given fraction, but nerve endings and microsomes had similar specific activities. The supernatant fraction had the highest exchange and the lowest Na-K ATPase activities, measured at a concentration of 3 mm -MgCl₂. (2) Nucleotide specificity of the Na-K ATPase was determined in all fractions, and this enzyme system showed an absolute requirement for ATP. The [¹⁴C]ADP-ATP exchange, measured at 3mm -MgCl₂, possessed broader specificity and also was active toward ITP, UTP and GTP; this serves to differentiate it from the Na-K ATPase. (3) Treatment of nerve ending fractions with NaI medium removed the bulk of the [¹⁴C]ADP-ATP exchange activity without loss in Na-K ATPase activity. (4) The exchange activity in NaI-insoluble fractions was insensitive to NaCl in the presence of 3 mm -MgCl₂, but it was stimulated 502-820 percent at low MgCl₂ concentrations, a finding which may be consistent with the postulated role of this exchange reaction in the Na-K ATPase system.     

EFFECT OF INCREASED RAT BRAIN TRYPTOPHAN ON 5-HYDROXYTRYPTAMINE AND 5-HYDROXYINDOLYL ACETIC ACID IN THE HYPOTHALAMUS AND OTHER BRAIN REGIONS

—Tryptophan was found at higher concentration in the rat hypothalamus than in other brain regions. This difference was explicable neither by regional differences in blood content nor by differences in tryptophan recovery from different weights of tissue. It was not due to interference by other known brain indoles. After food deprivation or tryptophan injection the tryptophan concentration rose in all regions. Total 5-hydroxyindole increases showed regional differences but relative changes were similar after both procedures. Increases in 5-hydroxytryptamine were clearest in midbrain + hippocampus. In general, 5-hydroxyindolylacetic acid increased more markedly than 5-hydroxytryptamine. The hypothalamus appeared refractory with negligible increases of both 5-hydroxyindoles upon either food deprivation or tryptophan administration even though hypothalamic tryptophan concentration rose considerably. Results are discussed in relation to other evidence suggesting special characteristics of 5-HT regulation in the hypothalamus.     

ENERGETICS OF AMINO ACID TRANSPORT INTO BRAIN SLICES: EFFECTS OF K+ DEPLETION AND Rb+ OR Cs+ SUBSTITUTION ON AMINO ACID UPTAKE

Abstract— Mouse brain slices were depleted of K⁺ by three 10-min incubations-in oxygenated HEPES-buffered medium lacking glucose and K⁺. Addition of K⁺ or Rb⁺ (or Cs⁺, to a smaller degree) with glucose, or with succinate, malate, and pyruvate (SMP) before incubation at 37°C with ¹⁴C-amino acids restored active low-affinity transport of d -Glu, α-aminoisobutyrate (AIB), GABA, Gly, His, Val, Leu, Lys, and Orn. Ouabain at 1–2μ m with Rb⁺ was more inhibitory with SMP than with glucose, suggesting that the glycoside may affect specific energy coupling to transport. Valinomycin, in contrast, showed no specificity of inhibition of amino acid uptake with glucose or SMP and K⁺ or Rb⁺. Cs⁺ partially restored amino acid uptake, but Li⁺ was less effective than Cs ⁺. NaF at 10 m m with SMP + Rb⁺, or SMP + K⁺ did not inhibit amino acid uptake. Therefore, it was possible to dissociate glycolysis and Na⁺, K ⁺ -ATPase activity from amino acid transport. The ion replacements for K ⁺ that supported active amino acid transport indicate that the specificity of ions in possible ionic gradients for transport energetics should be reexamined.     

UPTAKE OF GLUCOSE ANALOGUES BY RAT BRAIN CORTEX SLICES: Na+-INDEPENDENT MEMBRANE TRANSPORT

Abstract— The glucose analogues 3-O-methyl-D-glucose and α-methyl-D-glucoside were not metabolized in brain tissue.
The uptake of these two sugars into the intracellular compartment of brain cortex slices was investigated using media with normal and low Na⁺ concentration (replacement of all NaCl with choline Cl). The cellular transport was not Na⁺-dependent. The transport mechanism clearly distinguished between the two sugars in both normal and low Na⁺ media.     

METABOLISM OF AMINO ACIDS AND AMMONIA IN RAT BRAIN CORTEX SLICES IN VITRO: A POSSIBLE ROLE OF AMMONIA IN BRAIN FUNCTION

Abstract— (1) The sum of the values of total (tissue + medium) amino acid-N of glutamate, glutamine, γ-aminobutyrate, and aspartate (referred to as the glutamate system) and of ammonia-N of incubated rat brain cortex slices is approximately constant under a variety of metabolic conditions (presence or absence of glucose or of oxygen or in the presence of metabolic inhibitors such as aminooxyacetate, malonate, methionine sulfoximine, fluoroacetate, ouabain, 2:4 dinitrophenol, or Amytal). Fluctuations in the value of one constituent are compensated by fluctuations in the values of other constituents. The same applies to infant rat brain cortex slices and to rat brain synaptosome preparations. It is suggested that the constancy of the glutamate-ammonia system implies a coupling of neurons and glia in such a manner that glutamate released from the neurons during excitation is taken up by the glia and there converted to glutamine. The glutamine is returned to the neurons where it is hydrolysed to glutamate and ammonia. The glia, on this view, exercise an important buffering effect on the extracellular content of the excitatory amino acid, glutamate, and possibly on that of other functionally active amino acids emanating from the neurons. (2) The magnitude of the glutamate-ammonia system in the infant rat brain cortex is about 43% of that in the adult. It is suggested that, with maturity, the development of the glutamate-ammonia system is linked with the development of the citric acid cycle of operations. (3) The ammonia in the system is tightly linked to the activity of the ATP-controlled glutamine synthetase. (4) Proteolytic ammonia and amino acids are formed, during the incubation, to values that seem to be independent of a wide variety of metabolic conditions. The total value is approximately 10 μmol/g in the first h of incubation. (5) As the ammonium ion is necessary for the return of glutamate to the neuron in the form of glutamine, it is inferred that the ion plays a functional role in the nervous system by helping to maintain the steady state of glutamate in the neuron.     

TRYPTOPHAN AND 5-HYDROXYTRYPTAMINE METABOLISM IN THE IMMATURE RAT BRAIN DURING RECOVERY FROM ASPHYXIA

Abstract— The turnover of cerebral 5-HT in the 5-day-old rat during recovery from asphyxia was assessed in the brain by determining 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid concentration, and by following the accumulation of 5-HT after inhibition of MAO. Marked increases in turnover were found to persist for up to 3 h after resuscitation and this increase was accompanied by increases in brain tryptophan, plasma total tryptophan and the fraction of the plasma total tryptophan that was not bound to albumin. None of these parameters were different from those in control animals 24 h after resuscitation. Brain and plasma tyrosine levels remained unaltered by the treatment at all times investigated.     

STUDIES IN VIVO ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BRAIN TRYPTOPHAN, BRAIN 5-HT SYNTHESIS AND HYPERACTIVITY IN RATS TREATED WITH A MONOAMINE OXIDASE INHIBITOR AND L-TRYPTOPHAN

Abstract— The effect of l -tryptophan loading upon the amount of 5-HT accumulating in the brains of rats pretreated with a monoamine oxidase inhibitor was studied. The amount of brain 5-HT accumulated increased with increasing tryptophan dosages and brain tryptophan concentrations up to a tryptophan dose of 120 mg/kg body wt. and a brain tryptophan of about 70 μg/g brain. Above this dose and concentration no further increase in brain 5-HT accumulation occurred. After monoamine oxidase inhibition and tryptophan loading gross hyperactivity and hyperpyrexia occurred. Monoamine oxidase inhibition, tryptophan administration and intact aromatic amino acid decarboxylase activity were all collectively essential for the production of hyperactivity and hyperpyrexia. DL-Parachlorophenyl-alanine prevented both the occurrence of hyperactivity and the increased accumulation of, brain 5-HT. Indices of hyperactivity correlated with the amount of brain 5-HT accumulating in 1 h after tryptophan loading but not with the overall concentration of brain 5-HT, suggesting that hyperactivity was dependent upon the rate of 5-HT synthesis. Reserpine and tetra-benazine pretreatment speeded the onset and rate of development of the hyperactive state without altering the synthesis of brain 5-HT. It is suggested that when monoamine oxidase is inhibited and the rate of 5-HT synthesis is increased, granular uptake and storage of 5-HT and other rate-limiting mechanisms for 5-HT inactivation are unable to prevent 5-HT 'spilling over’to produce hyperactivity. The crucial dependence of 5-HT synthesis upon brain tryptophan concentration and the ability of intraneuronal metabolism, when monoamine oxidase activity is intact, to cope with increased 5-HT synthesis and prevent ‘spillover’, raise the possibility that brain 5-HT synthesis is normally in excess of functional needs, and suggest that intraneuronal metabolism and the intraneuronal organization of 5-HT pools are of more importance than synthesis in regulating the amount of 5-HT available for functional activity.