We have identified a previously unannotated catechol-O-methyltranferase (COMT), here designated COMT2, through positional cloning of a chemically induced mutation responsible for a neurobehavioral phenotype. Mice homozygous for a missense mutation in Comt2 show vestibular impairment, profound sensorineuronal deafness, and progressive degeneration of the organ of Corti. Consistent with this phen...

Myocardin-related transcription factors A (MRTF-A) is a myocardin-related transcription factor that have been found strongly activated CarG box–containing genes through its direct binding to serum response factor (SRF). In the present study, the MRTF-A expression vector was constructed. The MTT assay showed that transfection of MRTF-A could significantly decrease the anti-tumor effect of tamoxi...

Efforts to identify genetic factors that confer an increased risk for the expression of psychiatric symptoms have focused on polymorphisms in variety of candidate genes, including the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene. Results from previous studies that have examined associations between the functional COMT polymorphism (Val158Met) and mental health have been mixed. In the present study,...

UNLABELLED DNA methylation is one of the major events in the early process of gastric carcinogenesis and also occurs in non-neoplastic gastric mucosa. Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) catalyzes the methylation of various endobiotic and xenobiotic substances, and protects DNA from oxidative damage. The association between a common functional polymorphism of COMT Val158Met and DNA methylation ...

Catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT) is an enzyme involved in the degradation of dopamine. The most commonly examined polymorphism within the COMT gene is Val108/158Met polymorphism, which results in three to fourfold difference in COMT enzyme activity. It is particularely important in prefrontal cortex, since COMT activity is the most important regulator of the prefrontal dopamine function. Gi...

OBJECTIVE The authors previously reported a relationship between an allele encoding the low activity variant of catechol O-methyltransferase (COMT) and aggressive behavior in schizophrenic patients. This study replicates and extends these findings by using more direct measures of violent behavior. METHOD Fifty-five white patients (34 men, 21 women) with DSM-IV diagnoses of schizophrenia or sc...

BACKGROUND Impairments in working memory are present in many psychiatric illnesses such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and schizophrenia. The dopamine transporter and catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) are proteins involved in dopamine clearance and the dopamine system is implicated in the modulation of working memory (WM) processes and neurochemical models of psychiatric d...

OBJECTIVE The catechol O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene affects how long dopamine acts in the prefrontal cortex. The Methionine polymorphism, which results in a slower breakdown of prefrontal dopamine, is associated with better adult prefrontal cortex function. The authors investigated the relation between the COMT gene polymorphism and cognitive performance in children. METHOD Children were t...

Complex cognitive tasks such as visual working memory (WM) involve networks of interacting brain regions. Several neurotransmitters, including an appropriate dopamine concentration, are important for WM performance. A number of gene polymorphisms are associated with individual differences in cognitive task performance. COMT, for example, encodes catechol-o-methyl transferase the enzyme primaril...

Abnormal dopaminergic function in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) may be a key factor in the etiopathogeny of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Both schizophrenic and bipolar subjects have executive functions (EF) deficits, thought to reflect abnormal PFC function. The main inactivation pathways for dopamine in the PFC are enzymatic cleavage by the Carboxy-O-Methyl-Transferase (COMT) and reuptake...