Developmental changes in the activity and substrate specificities of mouse brain monoamine oxidase

Abstract

Developmental changes in monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity in the mouse brain were investigated with the substrates beta-phenylethylamine (PEA), tryptamine, and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT). In the newborn brain, MAO activity towards PEA was found to be much lower than the adult and to be inhibited by clorgyline in a double-sigmoidal fashion. The inhibition curve shifted to a single-sigmoidal pattern with age. MAO activity towards 5-HT as substrate was inhibited by 90% and in a single-sigmoidal manner by clorgyline throughout the postnatal life. Lineweaver-Burk plots with PEA as substrate presented two linear lines (apparent Km: 28.6 and 4.1 microM) for the newborn and one line (apparent Km: 11.4 microM) for the adult, respectively. The plot with high Km value for the newborn brain disappeared in a clorgyline-treated preparation. These findings suggest that age-dependent alterations in the ratio of MAO-A/MAO-B activity affect the substrate specificity of the enzyme.