Detection, purification and identification of an endogenous inhibitor of L-Dopa decarboxylase activity from human placenta.

An endogenous inhibitor of L-Dopa decarboxylase activity was identified and purified from human placenta. The endogenous inhibitor of L-Dopa decarboxylase (Ddc) was localized in the membrane fraction of placental tissue. Treatment of membranes with phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C or proteinase K did not affect membrane-associated Ddc inhibitory activity, suggesting that a population of the inhibitor is embedded within membranes. Purification was achieved by extraction from a nondenaturing polyacrylamide gel. The purification scheme resulted in the isolation of a single 35 kDa band, bearing L-Dopa decarboxylase inhibitory activity. The purified inhibitor was identified as Annexin V. The elucidation of the biological importance of the presence of an L-Dopa decarboxylase activity inhibitor in normal human tissues could provide us with new information leading to the better understanding of the biological pathways that Ddc is involved in.