Characterization of Drosophila tyramine beta-hydroxylase gene and isolation of mutant flies lacking octopamine.

ABSTRACT: Octopamine is likely to be an important neuroactive molecule in invertebrates. Here we report the molecular cloning of the Drosophila melanogaster gene, which encodes tyramine beta-hydroxylase (TBH), the enzyme that catalyzes the last step in octopamine biosynthesis. The deduced amino acid sequence of the encoded protein exhibits 39% identity to the evolutionarily related mammalian dopamine beta-hydroxylase enzyme. We generated a polyclonal antibody against the protein product of T beta h gene, and we demonstrate that the TBH expression pattern is remarkably similar to the previously described octopamine immunoreactivity in Drosophila. We further report the creation of null mutations at the T beta h locus, which result in complete absence of TBH protein and blockage of the octopamine biosy

SUBMITTER: Monastirioti M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6578608 | biostudies-literature | 1996 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature