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The biosynthesis of p-tyramine, m-tyramine, and beta-phenylethylamine by rat striatal slices.

Slices of striatal tissue obtained from saline-injected rats were incubated with 3H-phenylalanine in the presence of pargyline. This resulted in the formation of 3H-m-tyramine, 3H-p-tyramine, and 3H-phenylethylamine. Pretreatment of the rats with alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine reduced the formation of 3H-m-tyramine and 3H-p-tyramine, but enhanced the formation of 3H-phenylethylamine. After incubation of striatal tissue obtained from saline-injected rats with 3H-ptyrosine, only 3H-p-tyramine was produced. In this case, alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine pretreatment enhanced 3H-p-tyramine formation. Striatal slices incubated with 3H-m-tyramine or 3H-p-tyramine did not yield any significant quantity of 3H-phenylethylamine; nor was 14C-phenylethylamine converted to 14C-m-tyramine or 14C-p-tyramine. Pretreatment of the rats with the monoamine oxidase inhibitor pargyline did not appreciably affect these findings. After incubation with 3H-dopamine very small quantities of 3H-m-tyramine and 3H-p-tyramine were formed, the ratio between them being 7:1. It is concluded that the major biosynthetic route for m-tyramine formation in the rat striatum is by hydroxylation of phenylalanine, probably by tyrosine hydroxylase to m-tyrosine, followed by decarboxylation, probably by L-aromatic amino acid decarboxylase, to m-tyramine. para-Tyramine is formed by decarboxylation of p-tyrosine, and phenylethylamine similarly by decarboxylation of phenylalanine.

Animals↗

Degeneration of dopaminergic neurons triggers an expression of individual enzymes of dopamine synthesis in non-dopaminergic neurons of the arcuate nucleus in adult rats.

Non-dopaminergic neurons expressing individual complementary enzymes dopamine (DA) synthesis were shown to produce DA in cooperation [Ugrumov, M., Melnikova, V., Ershov, P., Balan, I., Calas A., 2002. Tyrosine hydroxylase- and/or aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase-expressing neurons in the rat arcuate nucleus: ontogenesis and functional significance. Psychoneuroendocrinology 27, 533-548; Ugrumov, M.V., Melnikova, V.I., Lavrentyeva, A.V., Kudrin, V.S., Rayevsky, K.S., 2004. Dopamine synthesis by non-dopaminergic neurons expressing individual complementary enzymes of the dopamine synthetic pathway in the arcuate nucleus of fetal rats. Neuroscience 124, 629-635]. This study was aimed at testing our hypothesis that the cooperative synthesis of DA in non-dopaminergic neurons is an adaptive reaction under functional insufficiency of the dopaminergic system. Functional insufficiency of the tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic system was provoked by 6-OHDA-induced degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the arcuate nucleus in adult rats. Bienzymatic (dopaminergic) neurons and monoenzymatic neurons expressing tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) or aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) were detected with a double-immunofluorescent technique on cryostat sections. The 6-OHDA-induced degeneration of dopaminergic neurons was accompanied by a significant increase of the number of monoenzymatic TH neurons and AADC neurons that appears to support our hypothesis. The reaction of bienzymatic and monoenzymatic neuron populations to the 6-OHDA administration occurred to be region-specific. The former disappeared in the dorsomedial region of the arcuate nucleus while the latter increased in the ventrolateral region. Thus, degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the arcuate nucleus of adult rats is accompanied by the expression of individual enzymes of DA synthesis in non-dopaminergic neurons that may be an adaptive reaction.

Adrenergic Agents↗

Long-term restoration of striatal L-aromatic amino acid decarboxylase activity using recombinant adeno-associated viral vector gene transfer in a rodent model of Parkinson's disease.

As a potential treatment for Parkinson's disease, viral vector-mediated over-expression of striatal L-aromatic amino acid decarboxylase was tested in an attempt to facilitate the production of therapeutic levels of dopamine after peripheral L-dihydroxyphenylalanine administration. The results of microdialysis and enzyme activity assays indicate that striatal decarboxylation of peripherally administered L-dihydroxyphenylalanine was enhanced by recombinant adeno-associated virus-mediated gene transfer of L-aromatic amino acid decarboxylase in unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine-lesioned rats. This gene transfer-induced increase in striatal decarboxylase activity was shown to remain undiminished over a six-month period and transgene expression was demonstrated to persist for at least one year. Unlike previous approaches involving delivery of either tyrosine hydroxylase, or tyrosine hydroxylase and L-aromatic amino acid decarboxylase transgenes together to accomplish unregulated dopamine delivery, the current study proposes a pro-drug strategy (peripheral L-dihydroxyphenylalanine administration after L-aromatic amino acid decarboxylase transduction). This strategy for dosage control could potentially allow lowered L-dihydroxyphenylalanine doses and potentially obviate complicated transcriptional regulation paradigms. These data suggest that the use of the non-pathogenic adeno-associated virus to transfer the L-aromatic amino acid decarboxylase gene into the striatum of Parkinson's disease patients may be an attractive gene therapy strategy.

Adenoviridae↗

Autoantibodies associated with Type I diabetes mellitus persist after diagnosis in children.

To study the persistence of Type I (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus associated autoantibodies and their relation to genetic risk markers and clinical characteristics of the disease after clinical manifestation, serum samples were obtained from 90 children and adolescents at diagnosis and 2, 5 and 10 years later. The samples were analysed for islet cell antibodies (ICA) by immunofluorescence and for antibodies to glutamic acid decarboxylase (GADA), intracellular portion of the protein tyrosine phosphatase related IA-2 antigen (IA-2A) and insulin autoantibodies by specific radiobinding assays. Of the subjects tested 79% were positive for IA-2A at diagnosis, 62% for GADA, 81% for ICA and 28% for insulin autoantibodies, but the prevalence of IA-2A, GADA and ICA decreased substantially as a function of increasing duration of the disease (p < 0.05 or less), their levels following the same pattern (p < 0.001 for all three autoantibodies). Two thirds of the subjects still tested positive for at least one autoantibody specificity after the first 10 years of the disease and 42% had two or three antibodies detectable. An increase over the initial antibody concentrations after the diagnosis was seen more often for GADA than for ICA (p < 0.001) or IA-2A (p < 0.05). In conclusion, autoantibodies associated with Type I diabetes appear to persist longer than expected after manifestation of the clinical disease, possibly due to small scale continuous beta-cell regeneration after diagnosis or to structural and/or functional mimicry between exogenous proteins and beta-cell antigens or both.

Adolescent↗

Effect of precursor loading on the synthesis rate and release of dopamine and serotonin in the striatum: a microdialysis study in conscious rats.

The effects of systemic administration of tyrosine and phenylalanine on the extracellular levels of tyrosine and dopamine were determined by microdialysis in the striatum of awake rats. In addition, the effects of these precursors on in vivo 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) formation were determined during continuous infusion of a decarboxylase inhibitor. Both precursors increased the dialysate levels of tyrosine sixfold, but only phenylalanine administration stimulated DOPA formation. However, neither precursor affected the release of dopamine. When the precursor administration was repeated in rats in which the release of dopamine was stimulated by haloperidol pretreatment, again no effect was seen on the release of dopamine. Systemic administration of tryptophan (100 mg/kg, i.p.) during continuous infusion of a decarboxylase inhibitor induced a threefold increase in the formation of 5-hydroxytryptophan and caused an increase in the release of serotonin during infusion of an uptake inhibitor to about 150% of controls. Finally, we investigated whether dietary precursors were able to influence neurotransmitter formation and release. Rats trained to consume their daily food in a period of 2 h were implanted with microdialysis probes. Scheduled eating induced a small increase in the extracellular levels of tyrosine (135% of controls), but the release of dopamine and the formation of 5-hydroxytryptophan during continuous infusion of a decarboxylase inhibitor were not affected.

Animals↗

Identification of a subpopulation of substantia nigra pars compacta gamma-aminobutyric acid neurons that is regulated by basal ganglia activity.

In this report, the authors provide a novel description of a population of gamma-aminobutyric acid-containing neurons in the substantia nigra, pars compacta (SNC). By using metabolic mapping of the immediate-early gene, c-fos, the activation pattern of these cells was characterized with respect to basal ganglia stimulation. Dopaminergic stimulation with d-amphetamine or apomorphine induced Fos expression in the central region of the SNC. However, lesions of the nigrostriatal dopamine pathway significantly reduced d-amphetamine- and apomorphine-induced Fos expression in the ipsilateral and contralateral SNC, respectively. Suppression of stimulant-induced Fos expression in the striatum, using antisense oligodeoxynucleotides, also eliminated Fos expression in the ipsilateral SNC, indicating that striatal efferent projections are involved in the activation of these cells. Double-labeling immunohistochemistry revealed that the Fos-positive cells did not express tyrosine hydroxylase but were immunoreactive for glutamic acid decarboxylase. Retrograde labeling of nigrostriatal neurons, combined with Fos immunofluorescence, revealed that these Fos-positive cells did not project to the striatum. Thus, these neurons do not appear to comprise a nondopaminergic nigrostriatal circuit but likely represent locally-projecting interneurons of the substantia nigra.

Animals↗

Catecholamine synthesizing enzymes in 70 cases of functioning and non-functioning phaeochromocytoma and extra-adrenal paraganglioma.

Immunohistochemical localization of the catecholamine synthesizing enzymes, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC), dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (DBH) and phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PNMT), was investigated in 70 cases of functioning and non-functioning phaeochromocytomas comprising 52 of adrenal and 18 of extra-adrenal origin. Of 59 functioning tumours, 30 were mixed epinephrine and norepinephrine-producing (mixed type) and 29 were norepinephrine-producing tumours. TH, AADC and DBH were detected in all functioning phaeochromocytomas, but PNMT was limited to the mixed-type phaeochromocytomas. Non-functioning phaeochromocytomas were divided into two groups, comprising a complete type, which induced neither elevated plasma catecholamines nor their metabolites in urine, and an incomplete type which exhibited no elevated plasma catecholamines, but showed a slightly high urinary vanillylmandelic acid level. In the non-functioning complete-type tumours, immunoreactive TH was negative, but the incomplete tumours of the adrenal medulla had all four enzymes, and corresponded to a mixed-type phaeochromocytoma. AADC and DBH were present universally in all functioning and non-functioning tumours, including TH-negative tumours. TH is a rate-limiting enzyme of catecholamine biosynthesis and deficiency of TH is an important feature of extra-adrenal non-functioning phaeochromocytomas.

Adrenal Gland Neoplasms↗

Lack of association between early exposure to cow's milk protein and beta-cell autoimmunity. Diabetes Autoimmunity Study in the Young (DAISY)

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether infant dietary exposure to cow's milk is associated with beta-cell autoimmunity (BCA), an early predictor of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). SETTING: Denver, Colo. DESIGN: Cross-sectional with retrospective analysis. PARTICIPANTS: Between January 1994 and December 1995, 253 children from 171 families of persons with IDDM were screened for BCA. All children were between the ages of 9 months and 7 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: BCA was defined as elevated levels of insulin autoantibody, glutamic acid decarboxylase autoantibody, or insulinoma-associated islet tyrosine phosphatases autoantibody (IA-2) above the 99th percentile of 198 normal subjects. RESULTS: Eighteen cases of BCA were detected; 153 unrelated autoantibody-negative children were selected from the cohort as controls. There were no differences in the proportion of cases and controls who were exposed to cow's milk or foods containing cow's milk or to cereal, fruit and vegetable, or meat protein by 3 months or by 6 months of age. Children with BCA were breast-fed for a slightly longer duration than controls (median duration 10 vs 8 months, P=.07). CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that early exposure to cow's milk or other dietary protein is not associated with BCA. This calls into question the importance of cow's milk avoidance as a preventive measure for IDDM.

Animals↗

Postnatal elimination of transplacentally acquired disease-associated antibodies in infants born to families with type 1 diabetes. The Finnish TRIGR Study Group. Trial to Reduce IDDM in the Genetically at Risk.

The elimination of maternally acquired, diabetes-associated antibodies from the peripheral circulation of infants was studied in a population of 47 mothers and their newborn infants from families in which at least 1 first degree relative had type 1 diabetes. Blood samples were taken from the placental cord; from the infant at follow-up visits at the ages of 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, and 24 months; and from the mother at the time of delivery. The samples were analyzed for cytoplasmic islet cell antibodies (ICA), insulin antibodies (IA), autoantibodies to the 65-kDa isoform of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GADA), and autoantibodies to the protein tyrosine phosphatase-related IA-2 antigen (IA-2A). The mean elimination times for ICA, IA, GADA, and IA-2A were 3.1, 3.1, 4.5, and 4.3 months (P = NS), respectively. The initial levels of IA, GADA, and IA-2A in the cord blood correlated closely with the elimination time (r(s) = 0:84-0.91; P < 0.001). The mean proportions of ICA, IA, GADA, and IA-2A still detectable were 18%, 21%, 30%, and 20%, respectively, at 3 months; 2.2%, 14%, 10%, and 6% at 6 months; and 0.3%, 15%, 2.3%, and 5.1% at 9 months. One infant still tested positive for GADA at the age of 12 months, whereas all of the other antibodies had been eliminated by that age. When observing the natural history of beta-cell autoimmunity or when screening for secondary prevention in young children, cross-sectional autoantibody analyses do not provide sufficient information. Repeated testing is to be recommended in young children. In infancy, increasing antibody levels most likely reflect de novo synthesis of diabetes-associated autoantibodies.

Aging↗

Behavioural and biochemical alterations following haloperidol treatment and withdrawal: the animal model of tardive dyskinesia reexamined.

Behavioural and biochemical studies were carried out in rats given a single daily dose (1 mg/kg, i.p.) of haloperidol for 30 days and subsequently withdrawn for 7 days. Long-term administration of haloperidol resulted in supersensitivity of dopamine receptors. This was manifested by enhanced stereotypic biting, rearing, locomotor and floor activity of haloperidol withdrawn rats when challenged to a low dose of apomorphine (0.5 mg/kg, s.c.) on the 8th day. Chronic haloperidol treatment significantly decreased dopamine synthesis and release as evidenced by low activity of tyrosine hydroxylase and low level of homovanillic acid in striatum. Dopamine levels did not change in the frontal cortex, striatum and midbrain. Haloperidol treatment significantly increased striatal gamma-aminobutyric acid content and glutamic acid decarboxylase activity by 17% and 16% respectively. The decreased tyrosine hydroxylase activity and homovanillic acid level in corpus striatum might, in part, be due to an inhibitory effect of GABAergic neurons on dopaminergic system. Rats withdrawn from chronic haloperidol treatment showed significant increases in GABA level and glutamic acid decarboxylase activity. This probably resulted in further inhibition of dopamine release as evidenced by marked accumulation of dopamine in the corpus striatum and midbrain. No significant alterations in the endogenous levels of norepinephrine, 5-hydroxytryptamine and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid were observed in haloperidol-treated and subsequently withdrawn rats. These data suggest that chronic haloperidol treatment and subsequent withdrawal results in the development of behavioural dopamine supersensitivity as well as biochemical alterations in dopaminergic and GABAergic system. The changes in these two neuronal systems seem to be interrelated.

Animals↗

[Morphofunctional changes in the olfactory bulb after odor stimuli deprivation (II). Histochemical study].

By histochemical and immunohistochemical methods we study the effects that has the odorous stimuli privation in the first day after the birth on the activity of the olfactory bulb of the gerbil (Meriones Unguiculatus). This sensory deprivation of stimuli causes drastic reductions in given activities (Tyrosine Hydroxylase) no altering other (DOPA-Decarboxylase). This indicates that the functional ripeness of given enzymatic systems specify of an integrity of their sensorial afferences, while it is not necessary for the normal activity of other enzymes even within the same cell.

Animals↗

Functional injury of cholinergic, GABAergic and dopaminergic systems in the basal ganglia of adult rat with kaolin-induced hydrocephalus.

Structural and/or functional injury of the basal ganglia can lead to motor functional disabilities, abnormal gait and posture, and intellectual/emotional impairment, disorders also frequently seen in hydrocephalus. Previous reports have documented changes in dopamine levels in the neostriatum in experimental hydrocephalus. The present study was designed to investigate possible functional injury of cholinergic, GABAergic and dopaminergic systems in the basal ganglia immunohistochemically in a model of kaolin-induced hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus was induced in 12 Wistar rats by intracisternal injection of 0.05 ml volume of 25% kaolin solution under microscopic guidance. Four controls received an equal volume of sterile saline. The animals were killed at 2, 4 and 8 weeks after injection. The numbers of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT)- and glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD)-immunoreactive (IR) neostriatal neurons and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-IR nigral neurons, were counted in 60-micron thick representative sections and the IR cellular densities (counted cell number/neostriatal area) were calculated in the neostriatum. The number of total neostriatal neurons was also counted in 15-micron thick sections stained by cresyl violet (Nissl staining) to calculate the cellular density. The number and cellular density of neostriatal ChAT-IR neurons were significantly reduced at 2, 4, and 8 weeks after injection (P < 0.05), while those of GAD-IR neurons decreased at 4 and 8 weeks (P < 0.05). There was a linear correlation between degree of ventricular enlargement, and reduction in number of ChAT- and GAD-IR neurons (P < 0.001) as well as in the cellular density (P < 0.001). However, Nissl staining revealed no reduction in the cellular density of total neostriatal neurons (P < 0.001). TH immunoreactivity was reduced in neostriatal axons and in nigral compacta neurons, particularly in the medial portion of the dopaminergic nigrostriatal pathway. These findings suggest that progressive hydrocephalus results in functional injuries of cholinergic and GABAergic neurons in the neostriatum and dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra compacta by mechanical distortion. The disturbance in balance of these neurotransmitter systems in the basal ganglia may explain some of motor functional disabilities in hydrocephalus.

Acetylcholine↗

Synthesis and release of catecholamines by cultured monkey amniotic epithelial cells.

In this study, we investigated the presence, possible synthesis, and release of catecholamines (CA) by monkey amniotic epithelial cells (MAEC) using different methods. Immunocytochemical techniques demonstrated the presence of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC), dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (DBH), and dopamine (DA) immunoreactivities, suggesting the capability of these cells to synthesize CA. Further evidence from high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) studies indicated the presence of norepinephrine (NE), DA, and its metabolite 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) in the cell extracts of cultured MAEC. Incubation of MAEC for various time intervals in medium supplemented with L-tyrosine and tetrahydrobiopterin significantly increased the production of CA, thus confirming active synthesis of CA by MAEC and that increasing the incubation time increases this synthesis. In contrast, pharmacological inhibition of TH by alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine significantly reduced CA production, further confirming CA synthesis by MAEC. Catecholamines were also detected in the cell incubation media, suggesting the ability of MAEC to spontaneously secrete CA. Moreover, depolarization with high concentration of K+ increased the amount of CA released into the incubation media. Additionally, the detection of DOPAC, a primary metabolite of DA, in MAEC strongly indicates that these cells contain DA metabolizing enzymes. These results demonstrate the presence of CA in MAEC and that these cells can synthesize and release CA. Further extensive studies are needed to fully explore MAEC so that it may serve as a model to study the aspects of catecholaminergic activity in primate cells and may be a possible candidate for allotransplantation therapy of monkey model of Parkinson's disease.

3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid↗

Combined screening for autoantibodies to IA-2 and antibodies to glutamic acid decarboxylase in first degree relatives of patients with IDDM. The DENIS Study Group. Deutsche Nikotinamid Interventions-Studie.

To determine the value of antibodies to the intracytoplasmic domain of the tyrosine phosphatase IA-2 (anti-IA-2ic) and glutamic acid decarboxylase (GADA) for identification of subjects at risk for insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) we investigated 1238 first degree relatives of patients with IDDM for the presence of anti-IA-2ic and GADA and compared the results with cytoplasmic islet cell antibodies (ICA). Anti-IA-2ic were observed in 54 (4.4%) first degree relatives, in 51 of 86 (59.3%) ICA positive relatives and in 3 of 4 individuals who developed overt IDDM within a follow-up period of 1 to 28 months. GADA were found in 78 of 1238 (6.3%) first degree relatives. They were detected in 22 of 35 (62.9%) sera with ICA alone and in 1 of 3 subjects with anti-IA-2ic in the absence of ICA. Of the 1238 subjects 37 (3.0%) sera were positive for all three antibodies. Both anti-IA-2ic and GADA were positively correlated with high levels of ICA. Anti-IA-2ic and GADA were detected in 39.1 and 47.8% of subjects with ICA of less than 20 Juvenile Diabetes Foundation units (JDF-U) but in 66.7 and 76.2% of individuals with ICA of 20 JDF-U or more, respectively (p < 0.05). The levels of ICA and GADA in first degree relatives with at least one additional marker were significantly higher than in subjects with ICA alone (p < 0.005) or GADA alone (p < 0.03). The combination of anti-IA-2ic and GADA identified 84.9% of all ICA positive subjects and 93.7% of individuals with high level ICA (> or = 20 IDF-U). All 4 individuals who progressed to IDDM had either IA-2ic or GADA. Our data indicate that primary screening for anti-IA-2ic and GADA provides a powerful approach with which to identify subjects at risk for IDDM in large-scale population studies which may represent the basis for the design of new intervention strategies.

Adolescent↗

Familial fatal Parkinsonism with alveolar hypoventilation and mental depression.

The clinical, pathological, and neurochemical characteristics of a newly recognized inherited neurological disorder are reported. Lethargy and mental depression are early symptoms, followed by mild parkinsonism and progressive weight loss. Failure of automatic respiratory control develops and may result in sudden death. Advanced degeneration of the substantia nigra, cell loss and gliosis of the basal ganglia, and focal gliosis in the medulla are seen on pathological study. Degeneration of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system is evidenced by low levels of tyrosine hydroxylase, dopamine, homovanillic acid, and L-dopa decarboxylase in postmortem brain samples. Taurine concentrations in fasting plasma and CSF are somewhat depressed; brain contents of taurine are within normal limits.

Brain↗

Expression of cell type-specific markers during pancreatic development in the mouse: implications for pancreatic cell lineages.

The islet cells of the mammalian pancreas are comprised of four different endocrine cell types, each containing a specific hormone. Islet cells also contain two enzymes of the catecholamine biosynthetic pathway : tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC). The cell lineage relationships of these different cell types have not been examined and it is not known whether, during development, they originate from the same or from different precursor populations. In this study we used immunocytochemical procedures to determine whether developing pancreatic cells express markers common to endocrine and exocrine cell types. We found that acinar cell precursors express AADC prior to the appearance of an exocrine marker and that the expression of AADC in acinar cells persists throughout embryogenesis to the first month of postnatal life. At this time, acinar cells do not contain AADC. We also found that exocrine cells containing AADC never express other islet-cell markers. These findings suggest that while acinar and islet cells both arise from precursor cells containing AADC, these progenitor cells do not express a combined endocrine-exocrine phenotype.

Aging↗

Dopaminergic cells in the caudal A13 cell group express somatostatin-like immunoreactivity.

The caudal extension of the hypothalamic A13 dopamine cell group (A13c) was studied in the rat brain with immunohistochemical techniques using antibodies raised against the dopamine synthesizing enzymes tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC). Adjacent sections revealed that the TH- and AADC-staining patterns exhibited a clear overlap with that for somatostatin (SOM). Employing a double-labelling method with SOM- and AADC-antisera and subsequent elution and restaining of the same section with TH-antiserum, it was found that all immunoreactivities occurred in the same cell bodies. This study gives the first evidence for the presence of SOM-immunoreactivity in dopamine neurons.

Animals↗