Monoamine oxidases: from tissue homogenates to transgenic mice.
The regulation, structure and function of monoamine oxidases (MAO's) have been a subject of my research for many years. Studies of the enzyme have moved from early biochemical experiments, where different forms were biochemically characterized, to the molecular biology revolution where the genes for MAO A and MAO B were cloned and sequenced. Analyses of the signal pathways of gene regulation and specific transcriptional repression of MAO gene expression followed, as did the elucidation of the role of MAO in apoptosis. And importantly, MAO's impact on behavioral states of both mice and human beings was discovered. It is fulfilling and humbling to see how our early experiments with tissue homogenates and MAO A and MAO B gene cloning built a foundation for so much subsequent understanding of the molecular and genetic components underlying certain behaviors.
Shih
Jean Chen
JC
Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Southern California, 1985 Zonal Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA. jcshih@usc.edu
D000818:Animals; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008822:Mice, Transgenic / Q000378:metabolism*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008995:Monoamine Oxidase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D014157:Transcription Factors
D014157:Transcription Factors; D008995:Monoamine Oxidase