Monoamine oxidases (MAO) (EC 1.4.3.4) are a family of enzymes that catalyze the oxidation of monoamines, employing oxygen to clip off their amine group.[1][2] They are found bound to the outer membrane of mitochondria in most cell types of the body. The first such enzyme was discovered in 1928 by Mary Bernheim in the liver and was named tyramine oxidase.[3][4] The MAOs belong to the protein family of flavin-containing amine oxidoreductases.[5]
MAOs are important in the breakdown of monoamines ingested in food, and also serve to inactivate monoamine neurotransmitters. Because of the latter, they are involved in a number of psychiatric and neurological diseases, some of which can be treated with monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) which block the action of MAOs.[6]
- ^ Tipton KF, Boyce S, O'Sullivan J, Davey GP, Healy J (August 2004). "Monoamine oxidases: certainties and uncertainties". Current Medicinal Chemistry. 11 (15): 1965–82. doi:10.2174/0929867043364810 (inactive 12 July 2025). PMID 15279561.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of July 2025 (link)
- ^ Edmondson DE, Mattevi A, Binda C, Li M, Hubálek F (August 2004). "Structure and mechanism of monoamine oxidase". Current Medicinal Chemistry. 11 (15): 1983–93. doi:10.2174/0929867043364784 (inactive 12 July 2025). PMID 15279562.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of July 2025 (link)
- ^ Hare ML (1928). "Tyramine oxidase: A new enzyme system in liver". The Biochemical Journal. 22 (4): 968–79. doi:10.1042/bj0220968. PMC 1252213. PMID 16744124.
- ^ Slotkin TA (1999). "Mary Bernheim and the discovery of monoamine oxidase". Brain Research Bulletin. 50 (5–6): 373. doi:10.1016/S0361-9230(99)00110-0. PMID 10643441. S2CID 35565156.
- ^ "CDD Conserved Protein Domain Family: Amino_oxidase".
- ^ Yeung AW, Georgieva MG, Atanasov AG, Tzvetkov NT (2019). "Monoamine Oxidases (MAOs) as Privileged Molecular Targets in Neuroscience: Research Literature Analysis". Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience. 12: 143. doi:10.3389/fnmol.2019.00143. PMC 6549493. PMID 31191248.