title: Sulphite oxidase gene expression in human brain and in other human and rat tissues.
abstract: Sulphite oxidase (EC 1.8.3.1) is a molybdopterin-containing enzyme that catalyses the oxidation of sulphite to sulphate. Lack of active enzyme produces severe neurodegeneration and early death in humans, showing its essential role. Despite this, the expression of the sulphite oxidase gene in human and rat tissues (especially the brain) has not been elucidated. We therefore examined these tissues and found that the human liver, kidney, skeletal muscle, heart, placenta, and brain showed substantial expression while thymus, spleen, peripheral blood leucocytes, colon, small intestine, and lung showed little expression in humans. In rat, the liver, kidney, heart, brain, and lung (but not skeletal muscle) revealed a hybridization signal with the strongest signal in the liver. The spleen and testis also showed little expression. The differential expression of sulphite oxidase gene in various human brain regions was studied. Expression was seen in all brain regions examined (cerebellum, cerebral cortex, medulla, spinal cord, occipital pole, frontal lobe, amygdala, caudate nucleus, corpus callosum, hippocampus, thalamus, temporal lobe, and putamen). The cerebral cortex showed the highest level of expression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 10 Kent Ridge Crescent, Singapore 119260, Singapore.
authors.forename: Wee Hong
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Woo
authors.forename: Hongyuan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Kim Ping
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Barry
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Halliwell
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D001921:Brain / Q000201:enzymology*; D006801:Humans; D050862:Oxidoreductases Acting on Sulfur Group Donors / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D051381:Rats; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D050862:Oxidoreductases Acting on Sulfur Group Donors