Abstract
DOPAMINE-β-HYDROXYLASE (DβH), the enzyme which catalyses the last step in norepinephrine biosynthesis, is localized in the norepinephrine containing granules of adrenal medulla1 and in storage particles of the sympathetic innervated tissues2. It is also present in the blood vessel walls and accumulates adjacent to the walls3,4. Stimulation of the nerves of isolated spleen releases DβH into the perfusate5,6. Evidence has been presented that DβH is released from adrenal medulla by exocytosis, a process which expels from the cell the entire content of the catecholamine storage vesicles7. But adrenalectomy does not lower the serum DβH levels in rats (M. G. and L. S. F., unpublished observation) so it seems likely that most of the circulating DβH derives from extramedullary tissues.
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FREEDMAN, L., OHUCHI, T., GOLDSTEIN, M. et al. Changes in Human Serum Dopamine-β-Hydroxylase Activity with Age. Nature 236, 310–311 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1038/236310a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/236310a0
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