AROMATIC L-AMINO ACID DECARBOXYLASE

(Redirected from Aromatic-L-amino-acid decarboxylase)

'Aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase' (, synonyms: DOPA decarboxylase, tryptophan decarboxylase, 5-hydroxytryptophan decarboxylase, AAAD) is a lyase enzyme.

Contents

Reactions

As a rate limiting step

See also

External links

Reactions

It catalyzes several different decarboxylation reactions:

★ L-DOPA to dopamine - a neurotransmitter

★ 5-HTP to serotonin (5-HT) - also a neurotransmitter

★ tryptophan to tryptamine - a precursor to many alkaloids found in plants and animals
The enzyme uses pyridoxal phosphate as a cofactor.

As a rate limiting step

In normal dopamine and serotonin (5-HT) neurotransmitter synthesis, AAAD is not the rate-limiting step of in either reaction. However, AAAD becomes the rate-limiting step of dopamine synthesis in patients treated with L-DOPA (such as in Parkinson's Disease), and the rate-limiting step of serotonin synthesis in people treated with 5-HTP (such as in mild depression or dysthymia).
AAAD is the rate-limiting enzyme in the formation of biogenic trace amines.

See also

★ Aromatic amino acids

External links

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