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Science 5 October 1973:
Vol. 182. no. 4107, pp. 74 - 75
DOI: 10.1126/science.182.4107.74
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Articles

Methyltetrahydrofolic Acid Mediates N- and O-Methylation of Biogenic Amines

Shailesh P. Banerjee 1 and Solomon H. Snyder 1

1 Departments of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore Maryland 21205

A variety of mammalian and avian tissues N- and O-methylate indoleamines and phenylethylamines, with methyltetrahydrofolic acid as the methyl donor. Because it is considerably more efficient than S-adenosylmethionine, methyltetrahydrofolic acid may be the natural methyl donor in this reaction. With methyltetrahydrofolic acid, serotonin is O-methylated to 5-methoxytryptamine, a novel indoleamine in mammalian brain.


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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)