Question

From what amino acid is the signaling molecule tyramine derived?

Short answer

Tyramine is derived from tyrosine by decarboxylation.

Step-by-step solution

Step 1:Structure of tyramine

Tyramine is an amino and 4-hydroxyphenyl group-containing compound.

Tyramine has a nearly identical structure to that of tyrosine except for the presence of an additional carboxylate group on tyrosine.

Derivation of tyramine

The reaction of conversion of tyrosine to tyramine is depicted below:

Therefore, the tyramine molecule is produced via the decarboxylation reaction of tyrosine.