A natural variant of bovine dopamine beta-monooxygenase with phenylalanine as residue 208: purification and characterization of the variant homo- and heterotetramers of (F208)4 and (F208)2(L208)2.

Bovine dopamine beta-monooxygenase was purified from each of 18 individual adrenal glands by the method we have developed for the rapid purification of the enzyme from a single adrenal gland. Differential peptide mapping of the 18 enzyme preparations following fluorescence labeling of their cysteine residues revealed the presence of a novel variant with Phe as residue 208 in 14 adrenal glands; seven of them were homozygous for the variant allele and the remaining seven heterozygous. The variant enzyme was a tetramer and exhibited kinetic and structural properties similar to those of the wild-type tetramer (L208)4. These results indicate an allelic polymorphism and codominant expression of the two alleles of the enzyme gene.