Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
2820124 | Gene | 2006 | 8 Pages |
Abstract
Free d-aspartic acid and NMDA are present in the mammalian central nervous system and endocrine glands at significant concentrations, but their physiological role is still matter of debate. The only enzyme known to metabolize in vitro selectively these d-amino acids is d-aspartate oxidase (DDO). To clarify the role in vivo of the enzyme, we generated mice with targeted deletion of Ddo gene by homologous recombination. Mutated animals showed increased amounts of both d-aspartic acid and NMDA in all tissues examined demonstrating a physiological role of DDO in the regulation of their endogenous levels.
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Authors
Francesco Errico, Maria Teresa Pirro, Andrea Affuso, Patrizia Spinelli, Mario De Felice, Antimo D'Aniello, Roberto Di Lauro,