Polyclonal Antibody to Tyrosine Hydroxylase (Ab-31)

Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) catalyzes the rate-limiting step in the synthesis of the neurotransmitter dopamine and other catecholamines. TH functions as a tetramer, with each subunit composed of a regulatory and catalytic domain, and exists in several different isoforms . This enzyme is required for embryonic development since TH knockout mice die before or at birth . Levels of transcription, translation and posttranslational modification regulate TH activity. The amino-terminal regulatory domain contains three serine residues: Ser9, Ser31 and Ser40. Phosphorylation at Ser40 by PKA positively regulates the catalytic activity of TH . Phosphorylation at Ser31 by CDK5 also increases the catalytic activity of TH through stabilization of TH protein levels.