Dopamine beta hydroxylase
Encyclopedia
Dopamine β-hydroxylase is an enzyme
that converts dopamine
to norepinephrine
.
DBH is a 290 kDa copper-containing oxygenase
consisting of four identical subunits, and its activity requires ascorbate as a cofactor
. It is the only enzyme involved in the synthesis of small-molecule neurotransmitters that is membrane-bound, making norepinephrine and epinephrine the only transmitters synthesized inside vesicles. It is expressed in noradrenergic nerve terminals of the central and peripheral nervous systems, as well as in chromaffin cells of the adrenal medulla.
DBH is inhibited by disulfiram
, tropolone
, and, most selectively, by nepicastat
.
Enzyme
Enzymes are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process, called substrates, are converted into different molecules, called products. Almost all chemical reactions in a biological cell need enzymes in order to occur at rates...
that converts dopamine
Dopamine
Dopamine is a catecholamine neurotransmitter present in a wide variety of animals, including both vertebrates and invertebrates. In the brain, this substituted phenethylamine functions as a neurotransmitter, activating the five known types of dopamine receptors—D1, D2, D3, D4, and D5—and their...
to norepinephrine
Norepinephrine
Norepinephrine is the US name for noradrenaline , a catecholamine with multiple roles including as a hormone and a neurotransmitter...
.
DBH is a 290 kDa copper-containing oxygenase
Oxygenase
An oxygenase is any enzyme that oxidizes a substrate by transferring the oxygen from molecular oxygen O2 to it. The oxygenases form a class of oxidoreductases; their EC number is EC 1.13 or EC 1.14....
consisting of four identical subunits, and its activity requires ascorbate as a cofactor
Cofactor (biochemistry)
A cofactor is a non-protein chemical compound that is bound to a protein and is required for the protein's biological activity. These proteins are commonly enzymes, and cofactors can be considered "helper molecules" that assist in biochemical transformations....
. It is the only enzyme involved in the synthesis of small-molecule neurotransmitters that is membrane-bound, making norepinephrine and epinephrine the only transmitters synthesized inside vesicles. It is expressed in noradrenergic nerve terminals of the central and peripheral nervous systems, as well as in chromaffin cells of the adrenal medulla.
DBH is inhibited by disulfiram
Disulfiram
Disulfiram is a drug discovered in the 1920s and used to support the treatment of chronic alcoholism by producing an acute sensitivity to alcohol. Trade names for disulfiram in different countries are Antabuse and Antabus manufactured by Odyssey Pharmaceuticals...
, tropolone
Tropolone
Tropolone is a derivative of tropone with a hydroxyl group in the 2-position.Two methods for the synthesis of tropolone are by bromination of 1,2-cycloheptanedione with N-bromosuccinimide followed by dehydrohalogenation at elevated temperatures and by acyloin condensation of the ethyl ester of...
, and, most selectively, by nepicastat
Nepicastat
Nepicastat is an inhibitor of dopamine beta-hydroxylase, an enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of dopamine to norepinephrine....
.