Catecholamine metabolism: an update on key biosynthetic enzymes and vesicular monoamine transporters.

At the meeting, new interesting information was presented on the complex regulation of catecholamine (CA) metabolism in different catecholaminergic neuroendocrine cells. In this review we focus on the rate-limiting enzymes in CA biosynthesis, including (1) structure-function relationships, (2) transcriptional and posttranslational regulation, and (3) disease-associated mutant forms. Moreover, some recent studies on the structure and function of the vesicular monoamine transporters are discussed.