Dopamine is synthesized from the amino acid tyrosine, which is obtained from dietary proteins or produced from the amino acid phenylalanine. In dopamine-producing neurons, tyrosine is first converted into l-dihydroxyphenylalanine (l-dopa) by the enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase, the rate-limiting step in dopamine synthesis. A second enzyme, aromatic l-amino acid decarboxylase, then converts l-dopa into dopamine. In certain neurons and the adrenal glands, dopamine serves as a precursor for the synthesis of the neurotransmitters norepinephrine and epinephrine.
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