Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P42574 (caspase-3)
 45,978 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Although D-aspartate (D-Asp) has been recognized to have a physiological role within different organs, high concentrations could elicit detrimental effects on those same organs. In this study, we examined the D-aspartate oxidase (D-AspO) activity and the expression of superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) and caspase 3 in different tissues of the frog Rana esculenta after chronic D-Asp treatment. Our in vivo experiments, consisting of intraperitoneal (ip) injections of D-Asp (2.0 micromol/g b.w.) in frogs for ten consecutive days, revealed that all examined tissues can take up and accumulate D-Asp. Further, in D-Asp treated frogs, i) the D-AspO activity significantly increased in all tissues (kidney, heart, testis, liver, and brain), ii) the SOD1 expression (antioxidant enzyme) significantly increased in the kidney, and iii) the caspase 3 level (indicative of apoptosis) increased in both brain and heart. Particularly, after the D-Asp treatment we found in both brain and heart (which showed the lowest SOD1 levels) a significant increase of the caspase 3 expression and, vice versa, in the kidney (which showed the highest SOD1 expression) a significant decrease of the caspase 3 expression. Therefore, we speculate that, in frog tissue, D-AspO plays an essential role in modulating the D-Asp concentration. In addition, exaggerated D-Asp concentrations activated SOD1 as cytoprotective mechanism in the kidney, whereas, in the brain and in the heart, where the antioxidant action of SOD1 is limited, caspase 3 was activated.
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PMID:Effects of D-aspartate treatment on D-aspartate oxidase, superoxide dismutase, and caspase 3 activities in frog (Rana esculenta) tissues. 2056 64

The endogenous NMDA receptor (NMDAR) agonist D-aspartate occurs transiently in the mammalian brain because it is abundant during embryonic and perinatal phases before drastically decreasing during adulthood. It is well established that postnatal reduction of cerebral D-aspartate levels is due to the concomitant onset of D-aspartate oxidase (DDO) activity, a flavoenzyme that selectively degrades bicarboxylic D-amino acids. In the present work, we show that d-aspartate content in the mouse brain drastically decreases after birth, whereas Ddo mRNA levels concomitantly increase. Interestingly, postnatal Ddo gene expression is paralleled by progressive demethylation within its putative promoter region. Consistent with an epigenetic control on Ddo expression, treatment with the DNA-demethylating agent, azacitidine, causes increased mRNA levels in embryonic cortical neurons. To indirectly evaluate the effect of a putative persistent Ddo gene hypermethylation in the brain, we used Ddo knock-out mice (Ddo(-/-)), which show constitutively suppressed Ddo expression. In these mice, we found for the first time substantially increased extracellular content of d-aspartate in the brain. In line with detrimental effects produced by NMDAR overstimulation, persistent elevation of D-aspartate levels in Ddo(-/-) brains is associated with appearance of dystrophic microglia, precocious caspase-3 activation, and cell death in cortical pyramidal neurons and dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta. This evidence, along with the early accumulation of lipufuscin granules in Ddo(-/-) brains, highlights an unexpected importance of Ddo demethylation in preventing neurodegenerative processes produced by nonphysiological extracellular levels of free D-aspartate.
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PMID:Age-Related Changes in D-Aspartate Oxidase Promoter Methylation Control Extracellular D-Aspartate Levels and Prevent Precocious Cell Death during Brain Aging. 2696 59