Regulation of tryptophan hydroxylase activity by a cyclic AMP-dependent mechanism in rat striatum

Evidence is presented indicating that a cAMP-dependent mechanism activates tryptophan hydroxylase (TrpH), the rate-limiting enzyme for serotonin (5-HT) biosynthesis. Forskolin, a selective activator of adenylate cyclase, stimulated 5-HT formation in synaptoneurosome preparations of rat striatum, substantia nigra, hypothalamus, and amygdala. Further studies of striatum revealed that the forskolin-induced activation of serotonin synthesis is readily reversible. Also, it may be self-limited by a mechanism of desensitization, since after an initial exposure to forskolin followed by removal, a re-exposure of synaptoneurosomes to forskolin was no longer stimulatory. In contrast to these results for 5-HT synthesis, forskolin-induced stimulation of dopamine synthesis persisted following removal of forskolin; hence the response was not rapidly reversible or desensitized. In soluble extracts of striatum, 8-thiomethyl-cyclic AMP enhanced TrpH activity, supporting a direct role of cyclic AMP and cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase in regulating TrpH. In agreement with previous reports, 8-thiomethyl cyclic AMP also stimulated tyrosine hydroxylase activity in soluble striatal extracts. We conclude that cyclic AMP is an important regulator of TrpH, in addition to its known effects on tyrosine hydroxylase.