SEQUENCE OF THE 5' FLANKING REGION OF THE MONOAMINE OXIDASE-B (MAO-B)GENE - DIFFERENCES WITH AN EARLIER REPORT

Genetic variations in monoamine oxidase-B (MAO-E.C.1.4.3.4) activity h ave been proposed as a significant factor in the development of variou s psychiatric and neurological diseases including Parkinson's disease. Structural differences in a related gene (MAO-A) have been shown to d etermine enzymic activity. We investigated the 5'-flanking region of M AO-B gene which contains recognised regulatory elements. We found seve ral differences, including a 29 base repeat segment which was absent i n 9 human male individuals, compared with the sequence of an earlier r eport. This could be due to a cloning artefact, although the possibili ty that the initial sequence represents a relatively uncommon variant in the population cannot be excluded entirely.