Amines that are neurotransmitters and hormones can be derived from amino acids. Dopamine and serotonin are 2 such neurotransmitters. Which amino acids do they come from?
1 Answer
They come from tyrosine and tryptophan, respectively.
Explanation:
Both are formed by enzymatically controlled hydroxylation and decarboxylation reactions.
Dopamine
Dopamine is formed by the metabolism of tyrosine.
The enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase first hydroxylates tyrosine to L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA).
In a second step, the enzyme L-DOPA decarboxylase decarboxylates L-DOPA to form dopamine.
Serotonin
Serotonin is formed by the metabolism of tryptophan.
In the first step, the enzyme tryptophan hydroxylase hydroxylates tryptophan to form 5-hydroxy tryptophan (5-HTP).
In a second step, the enzyme aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase decarboxylates 5-HTP to form serotonin.
