title: Differences in activity in cerebral methyltransferases and monoamine oxidases between audiogenic seizure susceptible and resistant mice and deermice.
abstract: The specific acitivity of cerebral histamine N-methyltransferase (HMT) was significantly lower in the audiogenic seizure-susceptible (SS) 21-day old DBA/2J mouse when compared to the non-susceptible 70-day old DBA/2J mouse but not when compared to the seizure resistant (SR) C57B1/6J mouse at 21 days of age. There was no significant difference between the two strains at 70 days of age. The lower HMT specific activity was also observed in a SS mutant of the deermouse Peromyuscus maniculatus, relative to the SR, wild-type animal. The activity of cerebral catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) was significantly lower in the DBA/2J mice relative to the C57B1/6J at 21 and 70 days while, in Peromyscus, it was higher in the SS mutant than in the SR animal. The activity of MAO, B was lower in the 21-day old, relative to the 70-day old DBA/2J and the 21-day old C57B1/6J mice. There were no differences in MAO A or B between SS and SR Peromyscus. The findings raise the possibility that cerebral methylation may operate at characteristic rates in SS animals.
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000201:enzymology*; D002394:Catechol O-Methyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism*; D006637:Histamine N-Methyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008780:Methyltransferases / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D008995:Monoamine Oxidase / Q000378:metabolism*; D010542:Peromyscus; D012640:Seizures / Q000201:enzymology*
chemical_list: D008995:Monoamine Oxidase; D008780:Methyltransferases; D002394:Catechol O-Methyltransferase; D006637:Histamine N-Methyltransferase