Distribution of catechol-O-methyltransferase enzyme in rat tissues.

Abstract

(4A3288).In the present study we show the distribution of catechol-0-methyltransferase (COMT) in various rat tissues with a highly specifk antiserum prepared against recombinant rat COMT. Immunoprecipitation and immunocytochemical controls confiied the COMT-specificity of the antibodies. The antiserum detected both the 24 w soluble and the 28 KD membrane-bound forms of the enzyme. By immunohistochemical staining the COMT enzyme was found in most rat tissues. Staining was most intense in the liver and in the kidney, in agreement with pmious studies and our immunoblotting results. In the gastrointestinal tract, epithelial cells of the stomach, duodenum, and ileum were immunoreactive for COMT. In panaeas, COMT immunoreactivity was found in insulin-producing p-cells and somatostatin-

Catechol O-Methyltransferase (COMT) mRNA Expression in the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex of Patients with Schizophrenia

“…Since COMT proteins have been detected exclusively in the neuropil of the cerebral cortex (Kaplan et al, 1979;Karhunen et al, 1994;Lundstrom et al, 1995) and neurons are the primary cell population producing COMT mRNA, it is reasonable to assume that COMT is located at dendrites and/or spines in the prefrontal cortex (Matsumoto et al, 2003). Interestingly, the prefrontal cortex of patients with schizophrenia has been reported to show reduced cortical neuropil, particularly in layer II , and decreased somal size of pyramidal neurons in layer III (Pierri et al, 2001;Rajkowska et al, 1998), both of which could be related to reduced dendritic arborization.…”

Proteomic Analysis of Membrane-Associated Proteins from Rat Liver Autophagosomes

“…6, the 1659.74 Da peptide was lacking, but instead a 1739. 75 Da peptide was present (absent from spot no. 19; (Fig.…”

“…COMT is particularly abundant in the liver, 75 where it plays a major role in the metabolism of catecholic estrogens and neurotransmitting catecholamines like dopamine, norepinephrine, etc. 76 Its Figure 5.…”

Decreased Expression of Catechol-O-Methyltransferase in the Renal Cortex of Malignant Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

“…A similar idea has been proposed by Winternitz et al (1980), who showed the effects of renal denervation on the development and maintenance of hypertension in SHR. The localization of COMT in the kidney has been previously studied, and the results showed that COMT was present in tubules, not in glomeruli (Karhunen et al 1994); thus, the localization of COMT observed in the present (1) WKY, (2) SHRSP, and (3) M-SHRSP Fluorescence was observed by a Nikon E800 microscope. Staining was present in tubuli (arrow head), but not in glomeruli (arrow).…”