CAL 2 Flashcards
what is dopamine made out of
- carbon
- hydrogen
- oxygen
- nitrogen
which disorders is dopmaine involved in
- huntingtons
- parkinsons
- schziophrenia
- chronic pain syndrome
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
what 5 things does dopaminergic transmission involve
- Synthesis
- Storage
- Release
- Interaction with dopamine receptors
- Inactivation
describe how dopamine is made
- tyrosine is uptaken into the presynaptic nerve terminal
- tyrosine is catalysed into DOPA by tyrosine hydroxylase
- DOPA is catalysed into dopamine by DOPA decarboxylase
what enzyme catalyses tyrosine into DOPA
tyrosine hydroxylase
what enzyme catalyses DOPA into Dopamine
DOPA decarboxylase
What is tyrosine
Tyrosine is a naturally occurring aromatic amino acid formed from the essential amino acid phenylalanine.
What is L dopa
L-DOPA is the precursor of dopamine and is formed from L- tyrosine.
why are levels of Ldopa in dopaminergic neurones low
Levels of L-DOPA in dopaminergic neurones are low because as soon as it is formed, it is decarboxylated and forms dopamine.
describe the structure of dopamine
Dopamine is a catecholamine. It has two adjacent phenolic hydroxyl groups on the benzene ring.
How is dopamine taken up and stored
- Dopamine is taken up by an active process and stored in presynaptic vesicles. This process depends on a supply of ATP as a source of energy.
- Storage depends on the vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2).
what can be used as a marker of dopaminergic innervation
VMAT2 (vesicular monoamine transporter 2) - this is the transporter that is involved in storage of dopamine
- This transporter can be used as a marker of dopaminergic innervation
what happens to presynaptic vesicles
Presynaptic vesicles
Vesicles are recycled, so that once the transmitter has been released they can be refilled with newly synthesized transmitter (and also to some extent with transmitter which has been re-uptaken by the presynaptic terminal).
what calcium channels are on the nerve
N type calcium channels
What are the type of dopamine receptors
- D1 or D2
- Dopamine may also bind to and activate presynaptic
(D2) autoreceptors.
what happens when dopamine is reuptaken into the pre synaptic terminal
- Stored in vesicles
- Degraded into homovanillic acid (HVA) by catechol - O - methyl transferase (COMT), a largely extra neuronal enzyme and monoamine oxidase (MAO), and aldehyde dehydrogenase.
- Degraded into 3,4-dihydrophenylacetic acid (DOPAC) by MAO and aldehyde dehydrogenase
where is MAO stored
an enzyme associated with the mitochondria and located in the presynaptic nerve terminal
Is COMT extracellular or intracellular
extracellular
what does COMT do
- catalyses the transfer of a methyl group S- adenosylmethionine to a donor phenolic hydroxyl group on dopamine
what does MAO do
- deaminates a range of amine substrates
- primary produce is an aldehyde which is oxidised to the acid by aldehyde dehydrogenase
What is Homovanillic Acid (HVA)
HVA is the major metabolite of dopamine in the brain and its levels can be used to monitor dopamine turnover.
What is DOPAC (3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl acetic acid)
- DOPAC is a metabolite of dopamine formed following oxidative deamination by MAO.
- The aldehyde formed is then oxidised by aldehyde dehydrogenase to DOPAC.
Is the following statement true or false:
DOPA decarboxylase specifically decarboxylates L-DOPA
false
Is the following statement true or false:
Tyrosine hydroxylase is a vitamin B6 dependent enzyme
false