Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2014 Mar 15:546:1-7.
doi: 10.1016/j.abb.2013.12.020. Epub 2014 Jan 6.

Mammalian Dopa decarboxylase: structure, catalytic activity and inhibition

Mariarita Bertoldi  1
Affiliations
Review

Mammalian Dopa decarboxylase: structure, catalytic activity and inhibition

Mariarita Bertoldi. Arch Biochem Biophys. .

Abstract

Mammalian Dopa decarboxylase catalyzes the conversion of L-Dopa and L-5-hydroxytryptophan to dopamine and serotonin, respectively. Both of them are biologically active neurotransmitters whose levels should be finely tuned. In fact, an altered concentration of dopamine is the cause of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease. The chemistry of the enzyme is based on the features of its coenzyme pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP). The cofactor is highly reactive and able to perform multiple reactions, besides decarboxylation, such as oxidative deamination, half-transamination and Pictet-Spengler cyclization. The structure resolution shows that the enzyme has a dimeric arrangement and provides a molecular basis to identify the residues involved in each catalytic activity. This information has been combined with kinetic studies under steady-state and pre-steady-state conditions as a function of pH to shed light on residues important for catalysis. A great effort in DDC research is devoted to design efficient and specific inhibitors in addition to those already used in therapy that are not highly specific and are responsible for the side effects exerted by clinical approach to either Parkinson's disease or aromatic amino acid decarboxylase deficiency.

Keywords: Decarboxylation; Inhibitors; Kinetic analysis; Mammalian Dopa decarboxylase; Mechanism; Oxidative deamination.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

Publication types