Structure and mechanism of monoamine oxidase
by
Edmondson DE, Mattevi A, Binda C, Li M, Hubalek F.
Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry,
Emory University, Atlanta,
Georgia 30322, USA.
dedmond@bimcore.emory.edu
Curr Med Chem. 2004 Aug;11(15):1983-93.

ABSTRACT

Monoamine oxidases A and B (MAO A and MAO B) are mitochondrial outer membrane-bound flavoproteins that catalyze the oxidative deamination of neurotransmitters and biogenic amines. A number of mechanism-based inhibitors (MAOI's) have been developed for clinical use as antidepressants and as neuroprotective drugs. To facilitate the development of more effective and specific inhibitors, a detailed understanding of the structures and catalytic mechanisms of these enzymes is required. The recent development of high level expression systems for producing recombinant human liver MAO A and MAO B in Pichia pastoris has facilitated the determination of the three dimensional crystal structures of MAO B (up to 1.7 angstroms resolution) in complex with different reversible (isatin, 1,4-diphenyl-2-butene) and irreversible inhibitors (pargyline, N-(2-aminoethyl)-p-chlorobenzamide, and trans-2-phenylcyclopropylamine). The binding of substrates or inhibitors to MAO B involves an initial negotiation of a protein loop occurring near the surface of the membrane and two hydrophobic cavities; an "entrance" cavity and an "active site" cavity. These two cavities can either be separate or in a fused state depending on the conformation of the Ile199 side chain, which appears to function as a gate. The amine function of the bound substrate approaches the re face of the bent and "puckered" covalent FAD through an "aromatic cage" formed by two tyrosine residues that are perpendicular to the plane of the flavin ring. No amino acid residues that could function as acids or bases are found near the catalytic site. The existing structural data on MAO B support previous QSAR results and are also supportive of a proposed polar nucleophilic mechanism for MAO A and B catalysis rather than the alternatively proposed single electron transfer mechanism.

MAOIs
Rasagiline
Neuroprotection
Rasagiline: structure
MAO-b inhibitors/PD
Anti-apoptotic activity
Molecular mechanisms
Rasagiline pharmacology
Induction of pro-survival genes
Rasagiline and the mitochondria
Antioxidant strategies against aging
Anti-Alzheimer/anti-Parkinson's drugs
Rasagiline versus selegiline metabolites
Rasagiline/ anti-apoptotic bcl-2 gene family
Dual AChE and MAO inhibitors and Alzheimer's
Rasagiline v selegiline: neuronal survival effects
Rasagiline (Agilect) in early Parkinson's disease

Refs
and further reading

HOME
HedWeb
Nootropics
cocaine.wiki
Future Opioids
BLTC Research
MDMA/Ecstasy
Superhapiness?
Utopian Surgery?
The Abolitionist Project
The Hedonistic Imperative
The Reproductive Revolution
Critique of Huxley's Brave New World

The Good Drug Guide
The Responsible Parent's Guide
To Healthy Mood Boosters For All The Family