Increased heterogeneity of tyrosine hydroxylase in humans

Humans produce four different forms of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) mRNA via alternative splicing of the gene. Here we demonstrate that New- and Old-World monkeys and the gorilla produce only two of the TH isoforms. Comparison among the genomic DNA sequences of various primates revealed that mutations that had accumulated in the genomic DNA created a new exon, resulting in the appearance of two new TH isoforms in man. These findings offer new insight into the sequence of events leading to the evolution of the higher primates into separate species. They also represent what may be the first evidence of a genetic difference between man and primates with respect to a specific brain function.