3,4-Dihydroxyphenylethylamine, L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine and 3,4,5-trihydroxyphenylalanine: oxidation and binding to membranes. A comparative study of a neurotransmitter, a precursor and a neurotransmitter candidate in primitive nervous systems

Neural versus alternative integrative systems: molecular insights into origins of neurotransmitters

Transmitter signalling is the universal chemical language of any nervous system, but little is known about its early evolution. Here, we summarize data about the distribution and functions of neurotransmitter systems in basal metazoans as well as outline hypotheses of their origins. We explore the scenario that neurons arose from genetically different populations of secretory cells capable of volume chemical transmission and integration of behaviours without canonical synapses. The closest representation of this primordial organization is currently found in Placozoa, disk-like animals with the simplest known cell composition but complex behaviours. We propose that injury-related signalling was the evolutionary predecessor for integrative functions of early transmitters such as nitric oxide, ATP, protons, glutamate and small peptides. By contrast, acetylcholine, dopamine, noradrenaline, octopamine, serotonin and histamine were recruited as canonical neurotransmitters relatively later in animal evolution, only in bilaterians. Ligand-gated ion channels often preceded the establishment of novel neurotransmitter systems. Moreover, lineage-specific diversification of neurotransmitter receptors occurred in parallel within Cnidaria and several bilaterian lineages, including acoels. In summary, ancestral diversification of secretory signal molecules provides unique chemical microenvironments for behaviour-driven innovations that pave the way to complex brain functions and elementary cognition. This article is part of the theme issue 'Basal cognition: multicellularity, neurons and the cognitive lens'.

Catecholic Compounds in Ctenophore Colloblast and Nerve Net Proteins Suggest a Structural Role for DOPA-Like Molecules in an Early-Diverging Animal Lineage

Ctenophores, or comb jellies, are among the earliest-diverging extant animal lineages. Several recent phylogenomic studies suggest that they may even be the sister group to all other animals. This unexpected finding remains difficult to contextualize, particularly given ctenophores' unique and sometimes poorly understood physiology. Colloblasts, a ctenophore-specific cell type found on the surface of these animals' tentacles, are emblematic of this difficulty. The exterior of the colloblast is dotted with granules that burst and release an adhesive on contact with prey, ensnaring it for consumption. To date, little is known about the fast-acting underwater adhesive that these cells secrete or its biochemistry. We present evidence that proteins in the colloblasts of the ctenophore Pleurobrachia bachei incorporate catecholic compounds similar to the amino acid l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine. These compounds are associated with adhesive-containing granules on the surface of colloblasts, suggesting that they may play a role in prey capture, akin to dihydroxyphenylalanine-based adhesives in mussel byssus. We also present unexpected evidence of similar catecholic compounds in association with the subepithelial nerve net. There, catecholic compounds are present in spatial patterns similar to those of l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine and its derivatives in cnidarian nerves, where they are associated with membranes and possess unknown functionality. This "structural" use of catecholic molecules in ctenophores represents the earliest-diverging animal lineage in which this trait has been observed, though it remains unclear whether structural catechols are deeply rooted in animals or whether they have arisen multiple times.

The effects of glutathione and ascorbic acid on the oxidations of 6-hydroxydopa and 6-hydroxydopamine

The interactions of ascorbic acid (AA) and reduced glutathione (GSH) in the oxidations of the catecholaminergic neurotoxins 6-hydroxydopa (TOPA) and 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) were investigated by both high performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection (HPLC-ED) and spectrometric methods. These comparative studies showed TOPA and 6-OHDA to be extremely unstable, with 100% of the trihydroxyphenyls oxidized within 0.5 min at physiological pH in potassium phosphate buffer. Neither AA nor GSH was found capable of significantly impeding the oxidations of these trihydroxyphenyls, or of regenerating these substances by reducing back their oxidation products, even though such a redox exchange mechanism was demonstrated for AA and the dihydroxyphenyl dopamine. Although ineffective in keeping TOPA and 6-OHDA as reduced molecules, GSH may nevertheless influence the neurotoxicity of trihydroxyphenyls by interacting with their oxidation products forming glutathionyl conjugates, thereby switching the reaction pathway away from potentially toxic eumelanin precursors and toward the production of pheomelanin. Electrochemical analyses established the formation of two oxidation products derived from each trihydroxyphenyl, one detected at -100 mV and the other at +700 mV. AA had no effect on either oxidation product, whereas GSH significantly decreased the levels of both oxidation products. The component detected at +700 mV is the cyclized, reduced leukochrome. The identity of the component detected at -100 mV was not established, but it is considered to be either the p-quinone or the cyclized, oxidized aminochrome.

Biogenic amines in coelenterates

1. This mini review highlights the most important findings during three decades of research on biogenic amines in coelenterates. 2. Histochemical, analytic chemical and physiological evidences clearly indicate that dopamine is used as an intercellular messenger in hydrozoans. 3. The colonian anthozoan Renilla, has beta-adrenergic mechanisms in monitoring bioluminescence and serotoninergic mechanisms in rhythmic contractions.

L-dopa binding sites in rodent melanoma cells

Rapid, saturable, specific and stereoselective binding of L-dopa to crude membranes and purified nuclei from rodent amelanotic melanoma cells is reported. Cross-linking of [3H]dopa to melanoma cell surface emphasized proteins of approx. 55, 30, 25 and less than 20 kDa. It is suggested that these binding sites may regulate melanocyte activity.

Toxic effects of iron for cultured mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons derived from rat embryonic brains

Iron, a transition metal possibly involved in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease, was tested for its toxic effects toward cultures of dissociated rat mesencephalic cells. When cultures were switched for 24 h to serum-free conditions, the effective concentrations of ferrous iron (Fe2+) producing a loss of 50% of dopaminergic neurons, as quantified by tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunocytochemistry, TH mRNA in situ hybridization, and measurement of TH activity, were on the order of 200 microM. High-affinity dopamine (DA) uptake, which reflects integrity and function of dopaminergic nerve terminals, was impaired at significantly lower concentrations (EC50 = 67 microM). Toxic effects were not restricted to dopaminergic neurons inasmuch as trypan blue dye exclusion index and gamma-aminobutyric acid uptake, two parameters used to assess survival of other types of cells present in these cultures, were also affected. Protection against iron cytotoxicity was afforded by desferrioxamine and apotransferrin, two ferric iron-chelating agents. Normal supplementation of the culture medium by serum proteins during treatment was also effective, presumably via nonspecific sequestration. Potential interactions with DA were also investigated. Fe2+ at subtoxic concentrations and desferrioxamine in the absence of exogenous iron added to the cultures failed to potentiate or reduce DA cytotoxicity for mesencephalic cells, respectively. Transferrin, the glycoprotein responsible for intracellular delivery of iron, was ineffective in initiating selective cytotoxic effects toward dopaminergic neurons preloaded with DA. Altogether, these results suggest (a) that ferrous iron is a potent neurotoxin for dopaminergic neurons as well as for other cell types in dissociated mesencephalic cultures, acting likely via autoxidation into its ferric form, and (b) that the presence of intra- and extracellular DA is not required for the observed toxic effects.

Antioxidants prevent the interaction of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid at the dopamine D2 receptor

Antioxidants such as ascorbic acid (AA) and dithiothreitol (DTT), can prevent 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) inhibition of [3H]spiperone binding to neuronal dopamine D2 receptors. The DOPAC quinone produced from auto-oxidation is believed to be responsible for the irreversible inhibition noted. Quinone conjugation to proteins occurs readily in vivo, and thus, auto-oxidation of DOPAC and other endogenous catechol containing compounds could be an important component of protein modification during on-going neuronal physiology.