title: Molecular cloning and sequencing of a cDNA of rat dopa decarboxylase: partial amino acid homologies with other enzymes synthesizing catecholamines.
abstract: Dopa decarboxylase (DDC; aromatic-L-amino-acid decarboxylase; aromatic-L-amino-acid carboxylase, EC 4.1.1.28) was purified from rat liver and its partial sequence was determined. Synthetic oligonucleotides were used to construct and screen rat liver cDNA libraries, and three clones were isolated and sequenced. The 2 kilobases of DDC cDNA cloned consisted of a 5'-noncoding segment of 78 nucleotides, a coding region of 1440 nucleotides, and a 3'-noncoding region of 438 nucleotides. The encoded protein of 480 amino acid residues had a molecular weight of 54,000. A special feature of the primary structure of rat DDC was a repeating structure consisting of 29 amino acid residues. A sequence of 58 amino acid residues, including this repeating structure of rat DDC, was found to show homologies with those of rat tyrosine hydroxylase, human dopamine beta-hydroxylase, and bovine phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase, other mammalian enzymes that synthesize catecholamines. These results indicate that catecholamine biosynthetic enzymes are structurally related and suggest that their homologous domains are important for catechol-protein interactions.
authors: Department of Pharmacology II, Osaka University Faculty of Medicine, Japan.
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Tanaka
authors: Y
authors: Y
authors: Horio
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Taketoshi
authors: I
authors: I
authors: Imamura
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Ando-Yamamoto
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Kangawa
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Matsuo
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Kuroda
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Wada
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001142:Aromatic-L-Amino-Acid Decarboxylases / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004296:Dopa Decarboxylase / Q000235:genetics*; D005796:Genes; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000201:enzymology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes / Q000138:chemical synthesis; D051381:Rats; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
chemical_list: D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D004247:DNA; D004296:Dopa Decarboxylase; D001142:Aromatic-L-Amino-Acid Decarboxylases